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SWEET  CLOVER.     A  Romance  of  the  White  City. 

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HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  CO. 

BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK. 


SWEET  CLOVER 


A  ROMANCE   OF  THE    WHITE   CITY 


BY 


CLARA  LOUISE   BURNHAM 


BOSTON    AND    NEW   YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND   COMPANY 
@be  fiifcergibe  pre??, 
1894 


Copyright,  1894, 
BY  CLARA  LOUISE  BURNHAM. 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Company. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  FAIR  HARVARD 1 

II.  UNCLE  ADOLPH'S  LETTER 8 

III.  A  MORNING  DRIVE 18 

IV.  CLOVER'S  ANNOUNCEMENT 31 

V.  Miss  BERRY'S  VISITORS 41 

VI.   THE  UNEXPECTED  GUEST 55 

VII.  ON  THE  RAIL 65 

VIII.  THE  TELEGRAM 81 

IX.  A  CHRISTMAS  VISITOR 96 

X.  AUNT  LOVE'S  INTERCESSION        ....      109 

XI.  THE  DEDICATION 120 

XII.  GORHAM  PAGE'S  COMMISSION      ....      140 

XIII.  MAY  DAY 151 

XIV.  CLOVER'S  INVITATION 165 

XV.   THE  COURT  OF  HONOR 178 

XVI.  A  MASSACHUSETTS  CELEBRATION        .        .        .      192 

XVII.  THE  BRONZE  BABY 210 

XVIII.   CLOVER'S  DIPLOMACY 228 

XIX.    THE  FERRIS  WHEEL 248 

XX.  THE  MIDWAY  PLAISANCE 268 

XXI.  OLD  VIENNA 287 

XXII.  ON  THE  LAGOON 310 

XXIII.  THE  HOTEL  DANCE 327 

XXIV.  DRESS  PARADE 347 

XXV.  IN  THE  PERISTYLE 369 

XXVI.  THE  NEW  YEAR  .                                                       386 


MG38729 


SWEET  CLOVEE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FAIR  HARVARD. 

"  WELL,  Jack,"  said  Mr.  Van  Tassel,  entering 
his  son's  room  at  Cambridge,  "  the  deed  is  done. 
Behold  you  a  full-fledged  alumnus  of  glorious  old 
Harvard !  "  The  speaker  grasped  the  young  fel 
low's  hand,  his  face  expressing  his  pride  and  grati 
fication. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  graduate,  springing  to 
his  feet  as  he  cordially  returned  his  father's  greet 
ing,  "  full-fledged,  but  rather  reluctant  to  try  my 
wings,  I  must  confess.  It  is  hard  to  fly  away 
from  all  this." 

As  he  spoke,  he  glanced  around  the  room,  one  of 
the  most  luxurious  in  historic  Holworthy.  Each 
familiar  object  seemed  newly  invested  with  plea 
surable  association.  His  eyes  lingered  upon  a  sil 
ver  chafing-dish,  resting  amid  a  lot  of  congenial 
litter  on  a  mantelpiece.  Jack  was  accustomed  to 
admit  modestly  that  when  it  came  to  manoeuvring 
with  a  chafing-dish,  he  could  not  deny  his  own 
genius. 

"  You  know  it  has  been  home  to  me  for  four 


2  SWEET  CLOVER. 

years,"  he  added  half-apologetically,  as  he  pushed 
forward  the  easiest  chair  for  his  father,  who 
dropped  into  it. 

"  I  know,  I  know,"  returned  the  latter,  nodding. 
"  I  am  glad  college  life  has  been  such  a  satisfactory 
experience  to  you.  I  have  felt  the  lack  of  it  my 
self  often.  Well,  yesterday  was  a  glorious  day," 
he  continued,  with  a  reminiscent  smile.  "Fine 
weather,  fine  people.  As  good  a  climax  as  you 
could  have  desired.  Those  exercises  around  the 
tree  are  very  amusing,"  the  smile  broadening.  "  I 
give  you  my  word  I  did  n't  know  you  in  that  scram 
ble.  I  did  n't  know  my  own  boy.  You  were  the 
worst-looking  tramp  of  them  all  to  begin  with,  Jack, 
and  at  the  end  you  were  the  most  demoralized  bun 
dle  of  rags  of  the  lot." 

The  speaker's  hearty  laugh  rang  out.  It  was  a 
matter  of  course  that  Jack  should  have  been  super 
lative  in  any  college  undertaking ;  but  now  a  pen 
sive  smile  was  the  young  man's  only  response  to 
his  father's  mirth.  To-day's  reaction  found  him 
in  a  rather  thoughtful  and  sentimental  mood. 

The  Van  Tassels  had  always  been  well-looking 
as  a  family.  Richard  Van  Tassel  was  a  handsome 
man  of  a  florid  thick-set  type,  and  he  admired 
this  sole  remaining  child  the  more  that  his  phy 
sique  was  so  dissimilar  to  his  own.  Tall,  slender, 
athletic,  Jack  stood  unconscious  of  his  father's 
scrutiny,  which  took  in  every  detail  of  his  appear 
ance,  from  the  wavy  black  hair  scrupulously  parted 
in  the  middle,  to  the  feet  planted  apart  OB  the 


FAIR  HARVARD.  3 

thick  rug.  It  was  a  delicate-featured,  refined  face 
that  the  young  fellow  had,  a  transparent  face  that 
betrayed  feeling ;  that  flushed  with  annoyance  or 
radiated  pleasure  from  brilliant  brown  eyes  and 
perfect  teeth.  But  now  the  eyes  were  shadowed ; 
and  when  they  caught  the  father's  gaze  after  a  half- 
minute's  abstraction,  Jack  smiled  with  the  gentle, 
winning  expression  which  was  his  birthright,  and 
had  uncalculatingly  won  for  him  every  favor  he 
had  ever  asked. 

"  Pardon  me.  Did  you  speak  ?  My  wits  are 
wool-gathering  to-day. ' ' 

Mr.  Van  Tassel  ceased  his  silent  satisfied  survey, 
and  picked  up  a  book  from  a  neighboring  table. 
"  I  was  about  to  ask  you,  what  next  ?  "  he  said. 

"What  next?" 

"  Yes ;  or  perhaps  I  should  say  where  next  ? 
I  have  business  in  Washington,  regarding  the 
World's  Fair,  which  may  detain  me  there  some 
time.  Are  you  with  me  ?  " 

"No  —  a" —  Jack  appeared  to  rouse  himself 
with  an  effort  from  his  mental  pictures.  "  The 
fact  is,  I  Ve  a  lot  of  invitations  that  I  should  like 
to  accept  before  I  go  back  to  Chicago." 

"  Very  well.  We  will  postpone  talking  plans, 
then,  until  that  time  comes.  You  are  to  go  abroad 
for  a  year  if  you  like,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  thank  you.  I  've  a  fancy  that  I  would 
rather  put  off  that  trip  awhile." 

"  Why  so  ?  A  wedding  journey  in  view  later, 
perhaps?" 


4  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Jack  did  not  appear  to  think  this  raillery  re 
quired  a  specific  answer.  He  smiled  again,  in  the 
thoughtful  mood  so  foreign  to  him. 

Mr.  Van  Tassel,  however,  had  been  glad  of  an 
opening  for  the  question.  He  listened  with  veiled 
eagerness  for  his  son's  reply,  and  was  disappointed 
that  none  came. 

When  he  spoke  again,  it  was  with  new  serious 
ness  and  a  shade  of  embarrassment. 

"  You  must  have  met  many  charming  women, 
during  the  past  four  years,  who  are  strangers  to 
me,"  he  said. 

"  Yes,  I  've  met  a  lot  of  women,"  returned  Jack 
with  a  patient  sigh  at  this  irrelevance.  What 
were  charming  women  to  a  man  who  was  saying 
good-by  to  his  crew ! 

"  But  old  friends  are  best  still  ?  "  persisted  his 
father. 

"  Yes,  no  doubt,"  responded  the  other,  vaguely 
courteous. 

"You  haven't  forgotten  the  girls  at  home?" 
said  Mr.  Van  Tassel. 

"No, — no  indeed,"  replied  his  son,  shaking 
himself  together  with  the  realization  that  he  was 
playing  poorly  the  part  of  host -to  this  kindest  of 
fathers,  for  whom  it  was  impossible  in  the  nature  of 
things  to  enter  into  the  subjects  which  were  upper 
most  in  Jack's  interest  just  now.  "  How  "  —with 
spasmodic  eagerness  —  "  how  are  they  all  ?  " 

"  Who  ?     Anybody  in  particular  ?  " 

The  young   man   stirred   restlessly.     This   was 


FAIR  HARVARD.  5 

persecution.  "  Oh  no,  my  Hyde  Park  friends  gen 
erally." 

"  There  is  no  especial  news,  I  believe.  Mrs. 
Bryant  fails  very  slowly,  I  think ;  but  of  course  I 
do  not  dare  hint  such  a  thing  to  her  devoted 
daughter." 

"  H'm.  Are  n't  they  all  devoted?  "  asked  Jack 
with  waning  vigor. 

"  Oh,  Clover  is  the  chief  one.  She  is  son  and 
daughter  both,  in  that  family.  All  responsibility 
falls  on  her.  A  fine  girl,"  said  Mr.  Van  Tassel 
emphatically. 

"A  pretty  one,  too,"  returned  his  son,  stifling 
a  yawn.  "  Mildred  is  coming  along,  though.  I 
thought  she  was  after  Clover  pretty  sharp,  the  last 
time  I  was  at  home.  Growing  to  her  hands  and 
feet,  you  know,  and  all  that." 

"You  will  be  glad  to  see  Clover  again,"  said 
Mr.  Van  Tassel  tentatively. 

"  Yes,  very  glad  to  see  them  all,"  was  the  reply, 
delivered  with  conscientious  heartiness. 

"  Not  especially  glad  to  see  Clover  ?  "  continued 
Mr.  Van  Tassel ;  and  now  it  was  impossible  even 
for  the  preoccupied  graduate  not  to  see  that  his 
father  was,  in  his  own  words  "  driving  at  some 
thing." 

He  looked  in  surprise  at  the  strong  face  thrown 
out  against  the  dark  blue  cushions  of  the  chair, 
and  straight  into  the  steady  gaze  of  the  gray  eyes 
that  had  never  looked  unkindly  on  him.  Before 
he  could  speak,  the  older  man  continued :  — 


6  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  I  had  an  idea  that  there  was  a  boy  and  girl 
attachment  between  yourself  and  Clover  Bryant,  — 
a  preference  on  your  part,  perhaps  on  hers  "  — 

Mr.  Van  Tassel's  face  had  never  looked  more 
attractive  to  his  son  than  now.  Its  expression  was 
so  loving,  so  earnest,  that  Jack  forebore  to  laugh, 
as  he  at  first  felt  inclined  to  do. 

His  father  did  not  appear  to  think  this  a  laugh 
ing  matter.  Moreover  his  attitude  gave  promise 
of  consent  and  sanction  in  case  such  compliance 
was  called  for. 

"  No,  sir.  You  were  mistaken,"  answered  the 
young  man  respectfully.  "  There  was  never  any 
sentiment  there." 

It  was  further  mystifying  to  him  that  a  shade 
of  relief  certainly  passed  over  his  father's  face  at 
this  reply,  and  yet  it  might  be  explicable  on  the 
ground  that  although  Mr.  Van  Tassel  would  not 
refuse  his  son's  wishes,  he  was  glad  to  find  that 
there  was  no  question  of  a  union  between  his  own 
family  and  one  so  poor  and  obscure  as  the  Bryants. 

"  There  might  well  have  been  a  preference,"  was 
the  grave  answer.  "  Clover,  young  as  she  is,  is 
a  pearl  among  women.  The  Breckiiiridges  have 
just  gone  abroad  for  a  year,  and  Mrs.  Breckinridge, 
before  she  left,  told  me  that  she  had  invited  Clover 
to  accompany  them ;  but  the  girl  refused  to  leave 
her  mother  and  the  children.  Think  of  the  way 
the  Breckinridges  will  travel,  and  what  it  cost  her 
to  refuse !  " 

"  Whew,  that  was  rough !     Clover  is  a  brick," 


FAIR  HARVARD.  7 

declared  Jack,  his  eyes  bright  enough  now  with 
their  accustomed  interest  in  life.  "  It  ought  not 
to  be  allowed.  Can't  we  do  something?  Get  a 
trained  nurse  for  Mrs.  Bryant,  and  invite  her  and 
the  children  to  our  house  for  the  year?  " 

Mr.  Van  Tassel  smiled  at  this  outburst.  "  We 
not  only  can't  do  anything,"  he  returned,  "  but  we 
must  n't  say  anything.  Clover  bound  Mrs.  Breck- 
inridge  to  secrecy,  because  it  would  be  such  a  grief 
to  Mrs.  Bryant  to  discover  what  her  daughter  had 
renounced  for  her." 

"  She  's  strong,  Clover  is,"  said  Jack,  with  an 
admiring  shake  of  the  head.  "  I  shall  be  glad  to 
see  her  again." 

Then  he  asked  his  father  a  question  regarding 
business,  and  the  subject  of  the  Bryants  was 
dropped. 


CHAPTER  II. 


SEVERAL  weeks  later,  in  the  long,  narrow  back 
yard  of  one  of  a  block  of  wooden  houses  in  Chi 
cago,  a  girl  was  hanging  out  clothes  on  a  line. 
An  occasional  hot  breeze  blew  the  soft  brown  hair 
in  stray  locks  across  her  forehead,  and  the  sun 
beat  down  from  the  glowing  sky  on  her  unpro 
tected  head. 

"Clover,  Clover  darling,"  called  a  weak  voice 
from  an  open  window,  "  you  Ve  been  out  there  so 
long !  Are  n't  you  almost  through  ?  You  will  get 
a  sunstroke.  Do,  at  least,  put  on  a  hat." 

The  girl  brushed  her  flying  hair  back  with  one 
hand.  "I'm  all  right,  mother,"  she  called,  her 
cheery  tones  contrasting  pleasantly  with  the  sad 
voice. 

"  She  is  doing  too  much.  I  know  she  is,"  mur 
mured  the  feeble  watcher  within,  keeping  her 
yearning  gaze  on  the  lithe  young  figure.  "  Bless 
her  brave  heart !  "  The  dim  eyes  filled. 

The  front  door  slamming  broke  in  upon  the 
mother's  meditations,  and  another  girl  entered  the 
shabby  room  where  she  sat.  She  was  a  tall, 
broad-shouldered  young  creature  of  seventeen,  the 
face  under  her  heavy,  half-falling  brown  hair 


UNCLE  ADOLPH'S  LETTER.          9 

flushed  with  heat,  health,  and  happiness.  She 
seemed  to  fill  the  room  as  she  skipped  up  to  the 
white-haired  figure  and  pressed  the  infantile  curve 
of  her  peachy  cheek  against  the  pale  face. 

"  Oh,  I  wish  for  the  thousandth  time  that  we 
could  live  nearer  the  lake>"  she  said  in  hearty 
young  tones.  "  Every  block  one  conies  inland,  one 
feels  the  difference  in  heat.  Where  is  Clover  ?  " 

"  In  the  back  yard,  hanging  out  clothes,"  was 
the  anxious  response.  "  I  'm  afraid  for  her,  Mil 
dred.  I  wish  you  would  take  her  a  shade  hat." 

"  Hanging  out  clothes !  "  repeated  Mildred, 
amazed.  "  What  in  the  world  "  —  She  did  not 
wait  to  finish  her  sentence,  but  hastening  into  the 
hall  seized  a  broad-rimmed  hat  hanging  there  and 
hurried  to  the  back  of  the  house.  Running  down 
the  steps,  the  dancing  light  quite  gone  from  her 
clear  eyes,  she  approached  her  sister. 

"  What  does  this  mean,  Clover  ? "  she  ex 
claimed  accusingly. 

The  elder,  already  highly  colored,  now  looked 
uneasy.  "  You  know  Mrs.  O'Rourke  could  n't 
come  to-day  to  do  the  washing,"  she  answered. 

"No,  but  she  can  come  Wednesday,"  retorted 
the  younger,  placing  the  hat  upon  the  sunny 
roughened  hair  of  the  head  which  was  decidedly 
below  her  own  in  height. 

"  Don't  stick  the  hat-pin  into  me,"  cried  Clover, 
smiling  up  into  the  displeased  eyes. 

"  I  don't  know  but  I  will.  Just  look  at  your 
fingers,  all  white  and  parboiled !  " 


10  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Clover  clasped  the  offending  hands  behind  her. 

"  What  did  you  do  it  for  ?  "  asked  the  young 
girl  severely.     "  Here  I  've  been  having  the  most 
elegant  jouncy  sail,  —  it  is  deliciously   rough,  — 
sitting  at  my  ease  on  a  cushion,  while  you  've  been 
working  like  this.     It  is  n't  a  bit  fair." 

"  All  right.  Help  me  to  hang  up  the  rest  of 
these  clothes,  and  I  '11  tell  you  why  I  did  it." 

Mildred  snatched  up  a  small  blouse  waist  and  a 
couple  of  clothespins.  What  was  the  use  of  cool 
ing  off  on  Lake  Michigan  if  one  must  return  to 
this  ?  How  the  sun  did  broil  down ! 

"  Was  Elsie  with  you  ?  "  asked  Clover,  as  she 
pinioned  the  side  of  an  apron  to  the  line. 

"  Yes,  and  Frank  too.  Harry  Billings  took  us 
all  out." 

"  I  'm  afraid  that  the  children  will  become 
something  of  a  nuisance  down  at  the  boat-house. 
Of  course  with  you  it  is  different ;  but  the  others 
hang  around  and  look  wishful,  and  of  course  the 
young  men  are  too  good-natured  not  to  ask  them. 
As  for  Frankie,  he  is  such  an  amphibious  little 
animal.,  we  can't  help  his  living  down  there." 

"  I  only  wish  we  all  did  live  on  the  shore," 
grumbled  Mildred.  "  I  never  shall  be  resigned  to 
being  so  far  from  the  lake." 

"  Oh,  it  is  something  to  live  in  the  country," 
rejoined  Clover  comfortingly,  "  and  Hyde  Park  is 
pretty  all  through." 

"Country!  Hyde  Park  !"  said  Mildred  scorn 
fully.  "  You  know  it  is  all  Chicago  now." 


UNCLE  ADOLPH'S  LETTER.  11 

"To  be  sure  ;  but  the  annexation  is  a  novelty 
yet,  so  no  wonder  I  had  forgotten.  However, 
what 's  in  a  name  ?  " 

"Not  much,  perhaps,"  said  Mildred,  tired  of 
reaching  up  in  the  hot  sun,  and  inclined  to  be  pes 
simistic,  "  but  since  we  have  moved  into  the  mid 
dle  of  this  dingy  old  block,  we  had  better  stop 
talking  about  living  in  the  country.  You  have  n't 
told  me  yet  why  you  took  this  last  caprice.  We 
can't  afford  to  go  away  and  have  a  change  in  sum 
mer,  I  understand  that ;  but  surely  there  is  a  dif 
ference  between  stark  and  staring  mad.  There 
are  more  sensible  forms  of  recreation  than  to  do  a 
family  washing  on  an  August  day." 

"  I  have  n't  done  the  biggest,  hardest  pieces,  you 
see,"  said  Clover  gently.  "  There,  this  is  the  last. 
Now  let  us  go  over  under  our  tree  and  talk  a  bit 
while  we  cool  off."  She  turned  toward  the  house 
and  sent  a  reassuring  kiss  toward  the  figure  seated 
in  the  window,  and  made  a  dumb  show  of  applaud 
ing  her  own  performance,  smiling  gayly  as  she 
clapped  her  hands. 

"  Sit  down,  Milly,"  she  said,  when  they  had 
reached  the  shade  of  the  one  tree  their  yard 
boasted ;  but  as  soon  as  they  were  seated,  the  elder 
girl  fell  silent,  and  clasping  her  hands  behind  her 
head  looked  up  through  the  foliage  of  the  ragged 
oak,  slowly  dying  as  all  its  brothers  and  sisters  do 
in  this  region,  pining  for  the  old  prairie  isolation. 

Mildred  fanned  herself  with  her  hat,  and  re 
garded  her  sister  half  crossly,  half  curiously. 


12  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  I  hate  to  talk  over  bothers  with  you,  Milly," 
said  the  latter  at  last ;  "  but  I  do  have  a  lot  of 
bothers  lately." 

Mildred  wondered  if  it  were  imagination  that 
she  saw  tears,  gather  in  the  other's  eyes.  If  they 
were  tears,  they  were  well  trained  to  obedience. 
Clover  sank  still  farther  back  and  lay  upon  the 
grass,  and  any  moisture  that  had  crept  forth  re 
treated  to  its  source. 

"  Is  mother  any  worse  ? "  Mildred  asked  in  a 
hushed  voice. 

"  No ;  although  she  is  no  better,  and  any  suffer 
ing  she  may  endure  is  the  hardest  trial  we  can 
have  to  bear.  Other  perplexities  are  trying  in  pro 
portion  as  they  have  relation  to  her,  and  all  our 
perplexities  must,  in  the  end,  bear  upon  her.  How 
to  conceal  them  is  the  study." 

"What  have  you  to  conceal?  What?  "  asked 
Mildred  quickly,  her  large,  childlike  eyes  full  of 
wonder.  "  Mother  knows,  she  has  to,  that  we 
barely  make  both  ends  meet,  and  she  thinks  you 
are  a  perfect  wonder,  the  way  you  manage.  What 
is  it,  Clover?  Is  it  Frank's  education  you  are 
worrying  about  again  ?  Goodness  !  Don't  tell  me 
you  did  the  washing  to  save  up  money  for  that?" 
The  speaker's  eyes  widened  with  surprise  and  dis 
approval. 

Clover  shook  her  head  and  smiled  faintly. 

"  I  've  noticed  lately  that  you  are  n't  half  so 
jolly  as  you  used  to  be." 

Clover  sat  up  with  such  suddenness  as  to  make 


UNCLE  ADOLPH'S  LETTER.  13 

Mildred  start.  "  Has  mother  noticed  it  ?  "  she  de 
manded. 

"  No,  not  that  I  know  of.  You  need  n't  look  so 
tragical.  I  only  mean  you  are  ever  so  much  more 
thoughtful  and  old-womanish  just  lately  than  you 
used  to  be.  I  'm  sure  I  don't  see  why  you  should 
let  yourself  be  bothered  if  we  're  all  willing  to  live 
right  down  at  the  bottom  of  everything,  and  I 
don't  make  any  fuss  about  wearing  the  same  dress 
to  school  until  the  girls  must  think  I've  grown 
into  it." 

"  You  have  been  good,  Milly,  just  as  good  as 
you  can  be  " 

"  Pshaw,  I  'm  nothing  to  what  you  are  for  good 
ness.  We  all  have  to  feel  the  pinch  of  poverty 
together,"  said  Mildred  with  some  grandiloquence ; 
"  and  in  a  place  like  Hyde  Park  it  is  easier  to  bear 
than  it  might  be  in  some  other  places.  All  the  old 
settlers  know  what  father  was,  and  that  his  honor 
was  n't  lost  when  the  money  was.  Everybody  we 
really  care  for  has  been  friendly  to  us  since  he 
died.  Just  think,  it  is  nine  years  now,  and  we  do 
manage  to  have  some  good  times,"  finished  the  girl, 
quite  heroically  she  thought,  since  there  were  such 
a  number  of  joys  that  she  yearned  for  and  had  to 
behold  hopelessly  in  the  possession  of  her  more 
fortunate  companions.  "  Come  now,"  she  added 
insistently,  "  you  are  still  guilty  of  that  washing 
and  not  a  word  said  to  excuse  yourself." 

"  Milly,"  —  the  older  girl  looked  into  her  sister's 
eyes  with  an  expression  full  of  loving  trouble,  — 


14  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  I  hate  to  tell  you,  but  Uncle  Adolph's  allowance 
has  n't  come  this  month." 

"  It  is  a  little  late,  that  is  all,"  said  Mildred,  but 
her  face  fell  and  her  heart  began  to  beat  unplea 
santly. 

"  No,"  very  sadly,  "  he  has  written  mother  that 
it  will  not  come  any  more.  Fortunately  I  opened 
the  letter  as  usual,  and  I  have  not  shown  it  to 
mother.  She  thinks  it  is  only  delayed." 

"  But  he  owed  the  money  to  father,"  said  Mil 
dred  vehemently.  "  It  was  not  charity  to  us,  it 
was  a  debt." 

"  Yes,  but  he  simply  says  that  on  account  of 
losses  he  will  not  be  able  to  let  us  have  any  more 
money,  and  we  cannot  force  him." 

"  Mr.  Van  Tassel  could.  Have  you  told  him  ? 
He  is  so  very  kind  to  us." 

"  Yes,  he  is  very  kind ;  but  there  is  nothing  he 
could  do  about  this." 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  asked  Mildred  blankly. 

"  That  is  what  I  have  been  asking  myself  for 
days  past." 

"  That  is  why  you  did  the  washing !  "  said  the 
younger  slowly  and  with  awe,  as  though  this  thought 
did  indeed  bring  home  a  realizing  sense  of  the  sit 
uation.  "  We  are  awfully  —  miserably  poor,"  she 
added  in  a  panic. 

"  Hush !     Not  so  loud,"  warned  her  sister. 

"  I  shall  have  to  leave  school  and  help  you  do 
the  housework,  and  Frank  can  never  have  any 
education  at  all,"  declared  Mildred  despairingly. 


UNCLE  ADOLPH'S  LETTER,        15 

"  He  will  have  to  get  a  position  in  some  store  as 
a  cash  boy.  Mr.  Van  Tassel  will  probably  help 
him  that  much,"  she  finished  dismally. 

"  Hush  !  Don't  keep  bringing  Mr.  Van  Tassel 
into  it,"  said  Clover  nervously.  "  I  can't  bear  the 
thought  of  begging  anybody  for  anything,  even 
influence." 

"Then  you  have  thought  of  something,"  ex 
claimed  Mildred  eagerly. 

"  No,  I  have  n't,  I  have  n't,"  rejoined  the  other 
hastily.  "  Oh,  Milly,  forgive  me."  Her  tone  and 
gesture  as  she  put  one  hand  to  her  face  and 
quickly  extended  the  other  to  her  sister  touched 
the  latter  with  great  surprise.  Mildred  took  the 
hand  and  squeezed  it  between  her  own. 

"  Forgive  you,  you  old  darling,"  she  said,  tears 
springing  to  her  eyes.  "  What  for,  I  wonder? 
Because  you  have  three  children  to  bring  up  and 
work  for  when  you  are  only  twenty?  or  because 
you,  the  prettiest  girl  in  Hyde  Park,  have  wizzled 
up  all  your  poor  fingers  washing  for  us  ?  What 
is  it  ?  Oh,  Clover  dear !  " 

For  Clover  was  crying  in  a  hasty,  furtive  fash 
ion,  stifling  her  sobs,  and  drying  her  eyes  with 
light  touches,  fearing  to  make  the  lids  redder. 

"Because  I  couldn't  keep  it  from  you,  Milly. 
You  see  it  does  n't  do  any  good  for  me  to  bother 
you  except  to  relieve  me  a  little." 

"  And  is  n't  that  something  ?  "  with  anxious 
affection.  "  Why,  you  make  me  as  vain  as  a  pea 
cock.  I  did  n't  know  I  counted  a  bit.  I  thought 


16  SWEET  CLOVER. 

you  had  to  have  somebody  old,  like  mother  or  Mr. 
Van  Tassel,  to  get  any  comfort  out  of  them." 

"Now  of  course  you  feel  as  I  do,  Mildred," 
said  the  older  sister,  her  quick  self-control  re 
gained.  "  Nothing  is  any  matter  but  to  keep  this 
from  mother." 

"  Well,  I  don't  see  how  we  're  going  to  do  it  for 
any  length  of  time." 

Clover  bit  her  lip.  "  But  as  long  as  we  can,  we 
will." 

"Of  course.  Why,  poor  mother  would  be 
crushed !  "  Then  with  a  change  of  tone,  "  Here 
she  comes  this  minute,  Clover  Bryant !  " 

"  And  my  eyes  are  so  red !  " 

"  Better  not  come  out  here,  mother  dear,"  cried 
Mildred,  rising  precipitately  and  advancing  to 
meet  her.  "  The  —  the  clothes  are  so  damp,  you  '11 
—  you  '11  take  cold ;  and  the  sun  is  so  hot,  you  '11 
be— be"- 

The  mother,  with  her  delicate  face  smiling  be 
neath  the  prematurely  white  hair,  placed  her  arm 
around  the  tall  girl  as  she  met  her,  and  together 
they  advanced,  Mildred  most  reluctantly,  to  where 
Clover  sat  smiling  and  striving  to  look  indifferent. 

"  Have  you  come  out  to  hear  the  jays  scold  ?  " 
asked  the  latter.  "There  is  one  up  there  now. 
Let  me  hang  the  hammock  for  you."  She  sprang 
to  her  feet. 

Mrs.  Bryant,  without  relinquishing  her  hold  on 
Mildred,  put  the  other  arm  around  her  eldest 
daughter. 


UNCLE  ADOLPWS  LETTER.         17 

Clover  flushed  violently.  There  was  a  look  in 
her  mother's  loving  eyes,  the  hint  of  a  smile  on 
her  lips,  which  the  girl  recognized.  It  was  a 
certain  exalted  expression  of  the  dear  lined  face 
which  her  children  had  seen  before,  and  it  always 
meant  rising  to  an  emergency.  The  girl's  heart 
contracted  painfully. 

The  wet  clothing  on  the.  lines  flapped  spasmodi 
cally  behind  the  trio.  Unsteady  board  fences 
enclosed  the  narrow  heated  area.  The  poverty- 
stricken  tree  stretched  its  gaunt,  ill-clothed  arms 
aloft,  and  the  blue-jay's  harsh,  jeering  note  added 
one  more  petty  discomfort  to  the  surroundings. 

"My  dear  little  girls,"  said  the  gentle  voice 
with  unusual  tenderness. 

The  sisters  only  regarded  their  mother  in  an 
apprehensive  silence. 

"  I  went  to  your  room  for  something,  Clover, 
and  I  found  my  letter  from  Uncle  Adolph.  I 
have  just  been  reading  it.  Don't  regret  it.  I 
had  to  know." 


CHAPTER  III. 

A   MOKNING   DRIVE. 

IN  a  city  like  Chicago,  where  events  occur  with 
phenomenal  rapidity,  two  or  three  years  make  great 
changes  in  a  neighborhood.  Hyde  Park,  which 
long  hung  back  like  a  rebellious  child  loath  to 
yield  its  independence,  had  at  last  placed  its 
reluctant  hand  in  that  of  the  mother  city ;  but 
with  the  suburb's  growing  population  there  had 
already  come  a  new  state  of  affairs.  It  was  no 
longer  the  case  that  everybody  in  Hyde  Park 
knew  everybody  else.  Those  families  who  made 
homes  there  when  but  two  trains  ran  daily  to  and 
from  town,  felt,  on  the  rare  and  rarer  occasions 
of  meeting  one  another  in  a  stranger  crowd,  the 
drawing  of  a  tie  tender  as  that  of  kinship. 

Mrs.  Bryant  belonged  to  this  pioneer  set,  and 
so  did  Mr.  Van  Tassel.  To  those  residents  who 
had  danced*  with  them  "  long  before  the  fire  "  at 
the  parties  in  the  old  Hyde  Park  hotel,  this  was 
reason  sufficient  why  the  wealthy  widower  should 
manifest  a  continued  interest  in  the  friend  of 
his  young  manhood  and  her  fatherless  children. 
Those  long-finished  polkas  in  the  long-destroyed 
hostelry  on  the  lake  shore,  where  scattered  neigh 
bors  once  met  with  the  unconventional  jollity  of 


A  MORNING  DEIVE.  19 

family   reunion,   had   left   behind   them   a   green 
memory  in  some  hearts. 

Florence  Badger  had  been  a  fair  little  bud  at 
those  gatherings,  and  of  course  Richard  Van 
Tassel,  her  gay  young  partner,  was  not  likely  to 
forget  either  her  or  his  chum,  Lewis  Bryant, 
whom  she  afterward  married.  The  children  of 
the  two  families  had  gone  to  school  together  and 
carried  the  intimacy  on  to  the  next  generation ; 
and  when  Mr.  Van  Tassel's  wife  and  daughter 
had  been  taken  from  him.  more  potent  to  comfort 
than  any  other  soul  had  been  the  gentle  invalid, 
the  friend  of  his  youth,  whose  lines  for  many 
years  had  fallen  in  hard  places. 

So,  small  wonder  that  the  fine  house  on  the  lake 
shore  and  the  shabby  home  on  the  back  street  had 
kept  up  an  interchange  of  civilities.  These  had 
been  chiefly  carried  on  by  the  young  people  until 
Jack  had  gone  to  college.  After  that  it  was  to 
the  Bryants  that  Richard  Van  Tassel  liked  best 
to  carry  his  boy's  letters,  and  talk  over  his  haps 
and  mishaps,  secure  of  sympathy. 

Of  late  he  had  not  been  blind  to  the  fact  that 
the  shabby  home  was  growing  shabbier,  but  it  was 
not  an  easy  matter  to  bestow  gifts  here.  This  very 
spring  he  had  remarked  that  Clover's  eyes  looked 
too  large,  and  that  they  rested  with  greater  anxiety 
on  her  feeble  mother.  He  had  even  hinted  to  Mrs. 
Bryant  a  trip  up  into  Wisconsin  or  across  the  lake ; 
but  she  had  parried  the  potential  offer  with  gentle 
firmness. 


20  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Many  a  drive  around  the  parks  and  boulevards 
did  the  invalid  take  with  her  daughters  in  the  glis 
tening  Van  Tassel  equipage,  greatly  to  the  wonder 
of  certain  Hyde  Parkers  whose  experience  did  not 
date  back  to  "  before  the  fire." 

The  owner  of  the  horses  was  away,  that  they 
knew.  Jack  Van  Tassel  graduated  from  Harvard 
this  June,  and  his  father  had  gone  East  for  the 
great  occasion.  Now  it  was  early  August,  and  he 
had  not  returned.  "  It  was  so  lovely  of  him,"  many 
said,  "  to  give  poor  people  like  the  Bryants  the  use 
of  his  carriage  while  he  was  away.  A  real  charity. 
Not  many  men  would  be  so  thoughtful." 

These  neighbors  wondered  if  the  freedom  of  the 
fine  equipage  extended  to  the  freedom  of  the  house ; 
but  this  they  could  not  discover,  for  the  Bryants 
were  not  talkers  unless  surrounded  by  old  friends. 
Hard  experience  had  taught  even  the  young  people 
reserve.  Nevertheless  it  might  have  been  a  grati 
fication  to  these  curious  ones  to  know  that  the 
Bryants  had  never  taken  liberties  at  the  Van  Tas 
sel  mansion.  It  had  even  been  interdicted  always 
to  the  girls  by  their  careful  mother  to  accept  a  gen 
eral  invitation  to  sit  on  the  piazzas  and  rest,  when 
they  came  home  from  the  sailing  expeditions  their 
souls  loved. 

The  house  was  fascinatingly  near  the  water,  and 
the  level  lawns  about  it  cool  with  a  fine  mossy 
greenness.  The  hammocks  and  rocking  chairs  on 
the  spacious  piazzas  gave  alluring  invitations  to  re 
cline  and  study  the  ever-changing  coloring  of  the 


A  MORNING  DRIVE.  21 

illimitable  fresh-water  sea ;  and  the  elm-trees  —  not 
even  on  the  boulevards  were  there  such  respectable 
elm-trees  as  had  here  been  coaxed  to  endure  the 
harshness  of  bleak  lake-winds. 

This  being  the  case,  it  was  hard,  Clover  and 
Mildred  used  to  think,  and  their  little  sister  thought 
so  still,  that  unless  Jack  happened  to  be  on  hand 
to  give  them  a  specific  invitation,  they  must  pass 
this  unused  luxury  by,  and  trudge  around  the 
corner  up  the  sunny  main  street,  and  so  on  to  the 
sandy  roughness  of  the  unpaved  avenue  they  called 
home.  Still  they  never  thought  of  rebelling.  The 
rule  was  as  fixed  as  those  of  the  Medes  and  Persians, 
and  it  must  be  a  right  one  because  mother  made  it. 

On  the  very  day  that  Clover,  hard  pressed  by 
thoughts  that  ran  in  a  discouraging  circle,  dis 
figured  her  pretty  hands  by  doing  the  family  wash 
ing,  Mr.  Van  Tassel  returned  to  Chicago. 

On  the  following  morning  the  sun  was  reflected 
brightly  from  the  wheels  of  his  buggy  as  he  drove 
a  pair  of  well-groomed  horses  to  the  Bryant  house. 
Elsie  Bryant,  a  girl  of  fourteen,  saw  him  as  he  drew 
up  before  the  wooden  walk.  With  a  little  excla 
mation  of  delight  she  ran  down  the  flight  of  steps 
to  greet  him. 

Mr.  Van  Tassel  gathered  the  reins  into  one  hand 
and  reached  the  other  down  to  the  child. 

"  How  are  you  all,  Elsie  ?  Mother  about  the 
same  ?  Oh,  I  'm  sorry  for  the  headache.  Is  Clover 
at  home  ?  Will  you  tell  her  I  have  a  business  errand 
to  do  this  morning,  and  very  much  want  her  com- 


22  SWEET  CLOVER. 

pany  on  my  drive  ?  Tell  her  she  must  indulge  me. 
I  can't  let  her  off.  I  '11  come  in  later  to  see  Mrs. 
Bryant." 

"  Lucky  Clover,"  thought  Elsie  as  she  ran  obedi 
ently  up  the  steps.  "  I  just  wish  he  had  asked  me." 
And  lucky  Clover  thought  herself  when  she 
received  the  message.  She  was  so  tired  of  her  own 
depressing  thoughts !  The  fresh  air  and  the  sight 
of  the  kind  familiar  face  would  do  her  good. 

When  Mr.  Van  Tassel  saw  her  run  down  the 
steps  in  her  blue  gown  a  few  minutes  later,  he 
descended  from  the  buggy  with  middle-aged  delib 
eration. 

"Welcome  back,"  said  Clover,  trying  to  speak 
cheerily.  It  seemed  to  her  that  misfortune  must 
have  set  an  ugly  visible  mark  upon  her. 

"  Thank  you  for  that.  Thank  you  for  coming," 
said  Mr.  Van  Tassel,  looking  at  her  as  their  hands 
met  as  though  he  saw  nothing  unlovely.  He  as 
sisted  her  into  the  buggy,  and  following,  started 
the  horses. 

"  Did  Jack  come  with  you  ?  " 
"No.     I  thought  that  I  might  find   him  here. 
He  expected  to  arrive  about  now." 

"  Proud,  happy  Jack,  I  suppose,"  said  the  girl 
smiling. 

"  Rather  a  homesick  Jack  I  fear  he  will  be  for 
a  little  while,  unless  he  has  recovered  already. 
You  know  the  young  man  has  a  way  of  recovering 
from  depression." 

"  Jack    and   depression !     What  an   impossible 


A  MORNING  DRIVE.  23 

connection  of  ideas,"  laughed  Clover.  It  seemed 
wonderful  to  herself  that  she  could  laugh.  It  was 
so  long  since  she  had.  Three  days  is  an  intermi 
nable  term  of  misery  when  one  is  twenty.  They 
were  bowling  swiftly  along  Drexel  Boulevard,  be 
side  the  rich  foliage  and  flower-beds  of  the  land 
scape  gardener;  the  air  was  clear  and  cool,  and 
driving  was  quite  a  different  thing  when  Mr.  Van 
Tassel  held  the  reins  in  this  light  vehicle,  from  the 
same  exercise  by  favor  of  his  solemn  coachman,  in 
the  heavy  and  gorgeous  carriage  driven  at  a  rate 
suited  to  Mrs.  Bryant's  sensitive  condition. 

Up  Oakwood  to  Michigan  Boulevard  they  sped, 
and  soon  the  buggy  stopped  before  one  of  the 
splendid  stone  mansions  on  that  avenue. 

"  I  shall  be  but  one  minute,"  said  Mr.  Van  Tas 
sel  as  he  dismounted,  and  he  kept  his  word.  When 
Clover  saw  the  brevity  of  the  message  given  to  the 
servant  who  answered  his  ring  at  the  door,  a  faint 
wonder  passed  through  her  mind  that  Mr.  Van 
Tassel  had  thought  fit  to  bring  it  in  person. 

She  was  not  inclined  to  quarrel  with  the  fact, 
however,  and  when  her  escort  returned  and  the 
heads  of  the  spirited  horses  were  turned  back  to 
the  south,  she  inhaled  a  long  breath  of  satisfaction. 

"  You  have  not  found  pleasanter  weather  than 
this  where  you  have  been,  I  am  sure,"  she  said. 

"  No,"  he  answered,  "  nor  pleasanter  circum 
stances.  I  have  thought  of  you  a  good  many 
times  though,  Clover,  and  wished  you  might  be 
with  me." 


24  SWEET  CLOVER. 

He  turned  and  looked  into  her  eyes  as  he  spoke, 
the  innocent  blue  eyes  that  returned  his  gaze  fully. 
Her  pretty  lips  parted  in  her  interest.  "  That 
was  very  good  of  you,"  she  said  sincerely.  "  I 
would  like  to  go  to  every  interesting  place,  so  I 
am  sure  I  should  have  echoed  your  wish.  Where 
was  it  ?  At  the  seashore  ?  " 

"  A  part  of  the  time,  —  yes." 

"  I  wonder  if  I  shall  ever  go  East,"  exclaimed 
the  girl  with  a  sigh.  "  New  York,  Boston,  Phila 
delphia,  I  should  like  them  to  be  something  beside 
names  to  me,  —  but  what  an  idea !  "  She  broke 
off  with  a  short  laugh.  Her  thoughts  had  indeed, 
like  unruly  steeds,  kicked  over  the  traces  by  which 
they  had  been  harnessed  to  carry  her  by  a  safe 
road  out  of  a  perplexing  labyrinth. 

"  Not  an  absurd  idea  at  all,"  said  her  compan 
ion  quietly. 

"  Our  lake  looks  very  like  the  ocean,  I  suppose," 
she  continued,  after  an  involuntary  sigh. 

"  Not  very  much.  I  don't  say  it  is  not  as  beau 
tiful,"  replied  Mr.  Van  Tassel  loyally,  "  but  the 
electric  blues  and  translucent  greens  of  Lake 
Michigan  have  little  in  common  with  the  deep, 
strong  indigo,  or  bottle-green,  of  old  Ocean. 
There  is  as  much  variance  in  their  complexions 
as  in  their  voices ;  as  much  difference  between  the 
sweep  of  the  fresh-water  surf  and  the  boom  of  the 
ocean's  tide,  as  between  the  tones  of  a  tenor  and  a 
bass  voice." 

"But,  Mr.    Van    Tassel,    think    of    the    lake 


A  MORNING  DRIVE.  25 

storms ! "  returned  Clover,  her  Chicago  spirit 
piqued.  "  I  've  stood  on  the  lake  shore  many  a 
time  when  I  could  lean  my  full  weight  against  the 
wind  and  be  supported ;  and  how  does  the  boom  of 
the  breakers,  hammering  the  piers  on  those  nights, 
sound  at  your  house  ?  " 

Mr.  Van  Tassel  smiled.  "  Well,"  he  answered, 
"  we  will  say  like  a  tenore  rdbusto  in  full  force. 
But  there  again  comes  in  the  difference  in  dispo 
sition.  When  Lake  Michigan  becomes  angry,  it 
flies  into  a  white  rage  in  a  few  minutes,  and  as 
soon  as  the  spell  is  over  calms  down  into  compar 
ative  placidity;  while  the  ocean,  slow  to  wrath, 
relaxes  but  gradually,  storming  on  with  splendid 
fury  under  a  dazzling  sun." 

"  A  difference  greatly  in  favor  of  the  lake,  I 
should  say,"  returned  Clover. 

"Ah,  but  think  of  the  terrors  of  Michigan's 
caprices.  Smiling,  even  seeming  to  dream  in  a 
happy  reverie  one  minute,  rocking  its  little  sail 
boats  softly  on  its  breast  like  a  gentle  mother,  all 
at  once  with  appalling  suddenness  it  flies  into  a 
passion,  and  while  the  fit  is  on  works  havoc  that 
inflicts  long  years  of  misery,  though  the  very  next 
hour  may  find  it  dimpling  again  in  gay  careless 
ness  of  calamity.  Not  so  with  the  ocean.  The 
sailor  relies  on  its  steady  winds,  and  the  honest 
signs  it  hangs  in  the  heavens  for  all  to  read, 
giving  fair  warning  of  approaching  danger." 

"Why,  Mr.  Van  Tassel!  As  if  you  didn't 
know  that  our  sky  hangs  out  signs  too,  only,  as 


26  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Jack  says,  one  must  be  brought  up  right  on  the 
lake  to  understand  them.  I  had  no  idea  you  were 
such  a  poet,  and  so  disloyal." 

As  the  girl  made  her  warm  protest,  her  compan 
ion  threw  back  his  head  and  gave  the  hearty 
laugh  that  his  friends  liked  to  hear. 

They  had  sped  down  Grand  Boulevard,  through 
Washington  Park,  and  now  entered  the  Midway 
Plaisance. 

What  that  name  suggested  to  Chicagoans  up 
to  a  short  time  ago  was  the  loneliest,  most  rural 
drive  of  their  park  system.  It  even  wound 
through  the  woods  at  one  point,  making  the 
refreshing  variety  of  a  curve  in  the  city  of  straight 
lines. 

On  this  morning  of  the  summer  of  '89,  when 
Mr.  Van  Tassel's  horses  turned  into  the  broad 
avenue,  their  hoofs  rang  out  in  unbroken  stillness. 
Not  another  vehicle  or  human  being  was  in  sight. 
Birds  glided  noiselessly  among  the  trees  that  lined 
each  side  of  the  driveway.  Grassy  fields  stretched 
away  in  level,  tranquil  monotony  in  all  directions. 
It  was  the  Midway  Plaisance :  but  with  no  dull 
rhythmic  beat  of  drum  to  be  the  first  greeting  of 
each  new  arrival,  no  shadowing  forth  of  the  scenes 
in  the  near  future,  when  this  unknown  plot  of 
ground  should  become  the  rendezvous  and  rallying 
place  of  the  civilized,  half-civilized,  and  savage 
nations  of  the  earth. 

It  was  the  Midway  Plaisance.  What's  in  a 
name?  The  words  now  signify  to  millions  a 


A   MORNING  DRIVE.  27 

babel  of  tongues,  a  baffling  concatenation  of  noises 
and  odors,  a  dizzying  throng  of  sensations  and 
emotions,  a  wondrous  collection  of  novel  sights. 
Yet,  a  little  while  ago  it  was  the  Midway  Plai- 
sance,  and  Richard  Van  Tassel  chose  to  drive 
through  it  with  this  young  girl  because  he  wished 
for  solitude,  and  he  could  find  no  more  secluded 
and  unfrequented  spot. 

"  You  must  be  introduced  to  the  charms  of  the 
sea  before  you  decide  on  the  question  of  my  loy 
alty,"  he  said. 

"  That  will  never  be,  I  fear,"  she  answered 
soberly. 

"  Never  is  a  long  time.  Hope  for  the  best," 
said  her  companion  cheerily. 

"  I  do  try  to,  but  I  have  n't  Jack's  cork-like  dis 
position."  A  sadness  had  crept  into  the  girl's 
tone  in  spite  of  herself. 

"  She  is  thinking  of  Mrs.  Breckinridge's  invita 
tion,"  decided  Van  Tassel. 

"  Your  day  will  come.  Every  man  and  woman 
has  his  opportunity,"  he  suggested. 

"  I  hope  you  are  right,"  answered  Clover  rather 
dispiritedly. 

Her  companion  looked  around  at  her  tenderly, 
but  her  large  eyes  were  gazing  between  the  horses' 
heads.  "  My  poor  little  girl,"  he  said,  and  at  his 
tone  Clover  glanced  at  him  in  surprise.  "  Is  the 
mother  not  so  well  ? "  he  asked.  "  Something 
depresses  you." 

"I  do  not  think  she  is  worse,"    answered   the 


28  SWEET   CLOVER. 

girl  slowly,  but  her  eyes  moistened,  and  she  looked 
away. 

"I  understand.  It  is  hard  for  you  to  be  the 
head  of  the  family.  You  will  grow  old  before 
your  time." 

Clover  became  afraid  that  she  should  cry.  She 
looked  resolutely  at  the  antics  of  a  gopher  on  the 
fence. 

"  I  have  been  growing  young  ever  since  we 
started,"  she  answered  lightly  at  last.  "  I  did 
feel  haggard  with  age  early  this  morning." 

She  might  have  added,  and  at  every  hour  of  the 
night ;  for  her  novel  problems  would  not  let  her 
sleep. 

"  I  hope  you  mean  to  tell  me  your  troubles  al 
ways,"  said  Mr.  Van  Tassel. 

44  That  is  very  good  of  you,"  returned  the  girl, 
turning  her  head  and  giving  her  companion  a 
faint  April  smile,  "  and  very  tempting  too.  Even 
though  I  am  nearly  certain  that  you  cannot  help 
me,  I  am  weak  enough  to  wish  to  talk  to  you  of 
what  I  must  repress  at  home." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,"  returned  the  other 
gravely,  "  gladder  than  I  can  express." 

So  Clover  told  him  of  her  uncle's  debt  to  Mr. 
Bryant,  of  the  small  allowance  he  had  consequently 
made  her  mother,  and  of  the  fact  of  its  cessation ; 
and  while  she  still  talked,  their  swift  horses  left  the 
Midway  Plaisance  and  entered  Jackson  Park,  quiet 
and  refreshing  at  this  hour  of  the  morning.  The 
broad  green  field  in  its  centre  was  studded  with 


A   MORNING  DRIVE.  29 

haystacks  whose  perfume  filled  the  air.  Robins, 
thrushes,  and  catbirds  lurked  in  the  quiet  groves, 
and  swans  sailed  majestically  on  the  lakelets  where 
soon  the  Eskimo  canoes  would  be  equally  at  home. 

Adjoining  the  field  of  new-mown  hay,  ducks  pad 
dled  along  the  still  green  banks  of  another  sheet 
of  water,  as  contentedly  as  later  in  the  same  spot 
their  brothers  would  swim  in  the  shadow  of  the 
white  columns  of  a  treasure-house  of  painting  and 
sculpture. 

Mr.  Van  Tassel  drove  his  horses  through  the 
site  of  future  State  buildings,  down  past  the  pavil 
ion  which  afterward  *the  people  of  Iowa  beautified 
with  their  ingenious  decorations.  Here,  close  to 
its  gray  stones,  he  drew  rein,  and  watched  with  his 
companion  the  gentle  waves  break  upon  the  sea 
wall. 

Clover's  recital  had  drawn  to  a  close,  and  now 
that  it  was  over  she  became  for  the  first  time  em 
barrassed  in  the  silence  that  followed,  and  doubtful 
of  her  own  wisdom  in  having  accepted  the  relief 
of  speech.  Her  companion  was  her  mother's  best 
and  oldest  friend.  He  had  urged  her  to  confide 
in  him.  His  present  silence  was  doubtless  owing 
to  a  deep  consideration  as  to  how  he  might  be  help 
ful  to  her;  but  he  was  a  rich  man.  Clover  had 
not  thought  of  that  till  now.  Her  only  hope,  so  far 
as  her  vague  thoughts  were  formulated,  had  been 
that  he  might  communicate  with  Uncle  Adolph 
more  effectively  than  she  herself.  Her  cheeks  grew 
slowly,  richly  crimson.  He  turned,  and  she  dreaded 


30  SWEET  CLOVER. 

what  he  might  be  going  to  say.  When  her  timid 
eyes  found  his  kind  gaze,  he  extended  his  hand  to 
her. 

"  Do  you  trust  me  entirely,  Clover?  "  he  asked. 

She  was  mystified,  but  as  he  evidently  wished 
for  her  hand  she  placed  it  in  his. 

"Yes,  I — I"  —she  began  incoherently,  pos 
sessed  by  the  suspicion  that  she  had  been  indeli 
cate,  and  torn  between  the  keen  feeling  of  her 
mother's  needs  and  her  repugnance  to  receiving  a 
gift  she  might  seem  to  have  requested. 

"  Don't  be  afraid,  dear,"  he  continued  very  kindly 
and  quietly.  "If  we  are  both  honest,  we  shall  not 
hurt  each  other.  You  have  been  frank.  Now  it 
is  my  turn." 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  next  day  Jack  Van  Tassel  came  home.  The 
first  warning  the  Bryants  had  of  his  arrival  was  in 
hearing  the  familiar  whistle  of  a  scrap  from  Car 
men,  which  was  Jack's  particular  call. 

Only  Clover  and  her  mother  were  at  home,  Mil 
dred  having  chaperoned  the  younger  children  to  a 
lawn  party  in  the  neighborhood. 

"  It  is  Jack !  "  cried  Clover  before  the  footstep 
had  reached  the  steps.  She  looked  hopefully  at 
her  mother,  who  returned  the  significant  gaze. 

"  He  would  n't  whistle,"  continued  the  girl  with 
soft  eagerness,  "if  he  were  n't  —  if  he  were  n't  the 
same  old  Jack." 

"  I  hardly  feel  equal  to  seeing  him  to-day,"  said 
Mrs.  Bryant  tremulously. 

"You  shall  not,  dear,"  was  the  hurried  response, 
as  Clover  ran  downstairs  from  her  mother's  room 
where  they  had  been  sitting.  She  threw  open  the 
house  door. 

"  Clover  herself,"  exclaimed  the  visitor,  laughing 
with  pleasure,  and  wringing  her  offered  hand  with 
painful  cordiality. 

"  I  'm  glad  you  've  come  at  last,"  she  answered ; 
"  and  you  don't  look  sorry." 


32  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,"  was  the  breezy  answer. 
"Where  are  Mrs.  Bryant  and  Mildred,  and  the 
small  fry?  I  want  to  see  everybody." 

"  The  girls  and  Frank  will  be  inconsolable  to 
miss  your  first  call,  but  they  've  gone  to  a  children's 
party ;  and  mother,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  n't  able 
to  see  any  one  to-day."  While  the  girl  spoke,  her 
eyes  alternately  met  Jack's  with  a  sort  of  wistful 
gladness,  and  then  fell  away.  Her  face  expressed 
the  relief  she  felt  to  be  thus  standing  and  talking 
in  friendly,  easy  fashion  with  her  old  schoolmate. 

"  But  come  in  and  sit  down,"  she  added.  "  You 
did  not  come  home  at  Christmas,  so  we  have  a 
whole  year's  talking  to  do." 

"  Let  us  talk  in  the  boat,  Clover.  Sorry  Mrs. 
Bryant  is  n't  well.  I  '11  call  again  when  she  can 
see  me.  It  is  just  right  for  a  sail.  Don't  you 
want  to  come  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  returned  the  girl  heartily.  "  I 
have  had  only  one  sail  this  summer.  Let  me  go 
and  get  my  hat,  and  say  good-by  to  mother." 

She  ran  upstairs  and  presently  returned.  Not 
a  trace  of  yesterday's  care  appeared  in  her  coun 
tenance  as  the  two  started  out  gayly  on  the  road 
they  had  often  traveled  together. 

Hyde  Park  still  bore  traces  of  being  a  country 
village.  The  young  people  walked  through  fields 
of  sweet  clover  and  goldenrod,  where  now  massive 
hotels  and  blocks  of  granite  and  glass  uprear. 
Chatting  and  laughing,  they  hastened  on  toward 
the  boat-house. 


CLOVER'S  ANNOUNCEMENT.  33 

"  It  is  pleasant  to  be  back,  I  declare,"  said  Jack 
heartily,  looking1  with  affection  over  the  billowy 
water,  striped  with  greens  and  blues,  which  had 
been  his  boyhood's  playground.  "  Father  says  old 
friends  are  best,  and  I  believe  he  is  right." 

"  Is  he  coming  with  us,  this  afternoon  ?  "  asked 
Clover  half  shyly. 

"  Why  no,"  replied  her  companion,  looking  at 
her  with  undisguised  astonishment.  "  You  don't 
mean  to  say  father  has  developed  a  taste  for  sail 
ing  while  I  have  been  off  at  the  seat  of  learning?  " 

"  He  always  liked  it  very  well,  did  n't  he  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  believe  he  always  preferred  driving. 
I  told  Michael  to  put  the  Flirt  in  the  water.  Yes, 
there  she  is.  Now  for  an  old  timer,  Clover ;  the 
wind  is  superb." 

The  girl  followed  the  speaker  out  upon  the  pier, 
and,  resting  her  hand  lightly  in  the  one  he  offered, 
stepped  into  the  boat.  Jack  followed,  and  they 
moved  slowly  along  the  little  harbor  and  out 
through  the  narrow  opening  between  pier  and 
breakwater,  which  has  ushered  so  many  boating 
parties  into  the  joys  of  a  brisk  voyage,  and  will  do 
so  no  more  forever. 

Jack  set  the  sail,  and  they  began  to  move  swiftly 
southward.  The  breeze  was  strong,  and  had  al 
ready  raised  waves  over  which  the  boat  sprang, 
striking  a  billow  before  she  cut  it,  with  a  splash 
which  echoed  in  the  heart  with  a  thousand  in 
vigorating  memories.  It  was  going  to  be  what 
Mildred  called  a  "  jouncy  "  sail,  and  Clover,  lean- 


34  SWEET  CLOVER. 

ing  back  amid  the  boat's  cushions,  would  have  been 
supremely  content  could  her  mind  have  been  set 
at  rest  upon  one  point. 

Jack,  unconscious  of  her  reservation,  bared  his 
head  and,  holding  the  tiller  with  one  hand,  waved 
the  other  toward  his  companion.  "  Now  I  am  at 
home,"  he  declared. 

Clover  smiled  and  nodded  in  silence.  She  re 
garded  him  with  less  complacence  than  she  had 
felt  half  an  hour  before.  It  was  passing  strange 
to  feel  a  little  shy  and  uncomfortable  as  she  looked 
at  Jack,  —  not  to  be  able  to  chaff  him  concerning 
the  little  mustache  that  was  a  new  acquisition, 
and  which  scarcely  shaded  his  mouth. 

The  Flirt's  white  wings  bore  them  past  the  dark 
pines  on  the  shore,  past  the  sea-wall  of  the  plea 
sant  park,  and  the  canal  which  fed  its  little  lake 
lets.  Then  on,  past  sandy  beach  and  wild  wood 
where  the  children  picked  flowers  in  early  sum 
mer,  past  sloughs  where  adventurous  boys  skated 
in  winter,  —  a  deserted,  unpromising,  monoto 
nously  level  bit  of  country,  surely,  to  be  chosen 
as  a  cynosure  for  the  eyes  of  all  nations ;  to  be 
destined  to  become  "  the  dazzling  focus  of  a  world's 
activity." 

Clover,  as  she  gazed,  saw  only  her  old  playground. 
No  vision  came  to  her  of  a  white  city,  lovely  and 
unsubstantial  as  though  fashioned  from  the  clouds 
of  heaven,  and  holy  because  the  offering  of  the 
best  of  men's  hearts  and  brains.  No  such  fore 
shadowing  came  to  blot  out  and  lift  her  above 


CLOVERS  ANNOUNCEMENT.  35 

her  personal  hopes  and  fears.  She  was  recalled 
from  absently  viewing  the  landscape  by  Jack's 
cheery  voice. 

"  Shall  we  put  about  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Yes,  we  might  as  well,"  she  replied,  and  as 
she  lowered  her  head  the  boom  swung  over. 

"  I  hope  you  won't  get  wet,"  he  continued  apolo 
getically,  for  the  spray  was  flying  high  and  higher. 
"  This  wind  is  growing  to  be  too  much  of  a  good 
thing.  You  must  excuse  my  preoccupation,  but 
I  'm  trying  not  to  let  you  be  drenched." 

"  Oh,  never  mind  me,"  replied  Clover.  "  You 
know  you  always  said  I  was  almost  as  good  as  a 
boy.  I  ?m  not  going  to  lose  my  reputation  on 
account  of  a  few  pints  of  water,  I  assure  you." 

"  If  I  had  only  put  in  a  reef,"  said  Jack  regret 
fully,  "  and  you  had  your  waterproof." 

But  the  lake  was  growing  boisterous  and  the 
facts  remained  that  they  had  neither  reef  nor 
waterproof. 

"  I  suppose  we  shall  have  to  go  in,  but  this  is 
fine,  Clover." 

"  Indeed  it  is ;  and  does  it  really  bring  you  to 
the  conclusion  that  there  is  no  place  like  home  ? 
I  am  interested,  for  you  see  I  don't  know  any 
place  but  home." 

"Is  that  a  fact?"  Van  Tassel  glanced  at  his 
companion  with  a  recollection  of  what  his  father 
had  told  him  of  her  relinquished  European  trip. 

"  Yes,  I  am  narrow  to  the  last  degree.  I  have 
never  been  out  of  my  native  State." 


36  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Jack  eyed  the  girl  with  admiring  compassion. 

"  You  Ve  never  even  seen  a  hill,  Clover." 

"  Never,  —  excepting  the  one  in  Lincoln  Park." 

Jack  laughed.  "  Which  was  carted  there  in 
wagons,"  he  added. 

"  The  things  I  've  never  done,  and  never  seen, 
would  fill  a  large  volume,"  went  on  the  girl,  her 
soft  hair,  golden  in  the  sunlight,  blowing  into  a 
halo  around  her  forehead,  as  she  leaned  on  her 
elbow  among  the  cushions;  ubut  then  I'm  not 
sure  I  should  n't  be  as  homesick,  if  I  went  away, 
as  May  Frisbie  was  last  summer.  Do  you  remem 
ber,  while  she  was  in  Switzerland,  she  wrote  home : 
4  For  real  scenery  give  me  Illinois  ! '  Ah,  here  is 
some  Lake  Michigan  !  "  for  a  dancing  noisy  wave 
had  leaped  above  the  gunwale,  a  few  spoonfuls 
vaulting  saucily  into  the  girl's  lap. 

"Pardon  me,  Clover.  It  is  too  bad;  but  we 
will  be  inside  in  a  minute.  Sorry  we  had  to  be 
cut  short  in  our  career." 

"  Never  mind,  we  've  sailed  while  we  sailed,  — 
not  dawdled  along." 

"  And  you  will  come  with  me  again  soon,  I 
hope." 

White-crested  billows  pursued  them  to  the  nar 
row  opening  in  the  breakwater,  as,  wind-buffeted, 
the  little  craft  entered  the  harbor. 

When  they  landed,  Jack  left  the  boat-house 
janitor  to  take  down  his  sails,  Clover  put  on  her 
hat,  and  they  walked  up  to  the  road  together. 

"  All  this  time  and  not  a  word  of  congratula- 


CLOVER'S  ANNOUNCEMENT.  37 

tion,"  began  Jack  gayly,  as  they  started  toward 
home. 

Clover  met  his  eyes  with  a  quick,  glad  turn  of 
her  head,  relieved  from  the  suspicion  that  had 
been  filling  her  with  apprehension ;  and  impul 
sively  she  put  out  her  hand. 

Her  companion  clasped  it.  "  Well,  better  late 
than  never,"  he  said. 

"  I  am  so  glad !  "  she  returned,  low  and  excit 
edly,  "  I  was  afraid  you  did  n't  know  it,  —  that 
perhaps  your  father  hadn't  told  you  of  our 
engagement." 

"What!  You  engaged,  Clover?"  returned 
Jack  in  great  astonishment,  pausing  in  his  walk. 
"Why,  of  course  I  didn't  know  it."  He  shook 
her  passive  hand  again,  and  started  on.  "  I 
have  n't  had  a  chance  for  any  talk  with  father  yet, 
for  when  I  dropped  in  at  the  office,  this  morning, 
he  had  some  old  duffer  with  him.  I  only  meant 
just  now  to  fish  for  congratulations  for  myself, 
that  my  grind  is  over.  I  've  been  receiving  a  lot 
of  them  lately,  you  know.  Excuse  the  egotism. 
Now  I  understand  why  you  have  seemed  to  have 
something  on  your  mind  this  afternoon.  I  do 
congratulate  him  most  heartily,  whoever  he  is. 
He  's  a  happy  man.  Do  I  know  him  ?  " 

Jack  saw  his  companion  turn  pale  to  her  lips,  as 
he  asked  the  question,  and  her  eyes  amazed  him 
by  their  piteous  wistfulness  as  she  raised  them  to 
his. 

"  I   have   made   a   great  —  a   great  mistake  to 


38  SWEET  CLOVER. 

speak,"  she  returned  faintly,  "  but  I  thought  from 
what  you  said  —  and  I  hoped  so  you  would  not 
object !  He  is,"  eagerly,  "  oh,  he  is  happy,  Jack. 
It  is  your  father." 

The  young  man  stared  blankly  into  the  white 
face,  then  his  own  turned  red.  Through  all  the 
tan  of  seashore  sun  she  could  see  the  color  rise, 
and  as  the  affectionate  interest  that  had  shone 
from  his  expressive  eyes  gave  place  to  a  violent 
revulsion  of  feeling,  it  seemed  to  her  that  a  physi 
cal  coldness  crept  around  her  heart. 

"  This  is  news  to  me,"  he  said  in  a  voice  she  did 
not  know.  "I  —  I  would  n't  have  believed  it  of 
you,  Clover." 

The  girl  winced.  The  contempt  of  her  old 
playfellow  was  the  severest  blow  she  had  ever  had 
to  bear.  She  walked  fast  under  the  stress  of  feel 
ing,  and  her  companion  kept  pace  with  her. 

"  This  is  why  she  refused  the  Breckinridge  in 
vitation,"  thought  Van  Tassel  hotly.  "  My  poor, 
generous,  blind  father." 

They  kept  silence  for  half  a  block,  then  Clover 
spoke  again,  recovered  calmness  in  her  pale  face. 

"  Your  father  said  that  if  we  were  honest  with 
each  other,  we  should  not  do  wrong,"  she  said 
clearly,  "and  we  have  been  very  honest.  He 
loves  me.  He  wants  to  take  all  my  cares  upon 
himself.  Nearly  all  our  means  of  subsistence  has 
recently  been  taken  from  us,  and  I  was  bewildered 
and  helpless  when  Mr.  Van  Tassel  came  to  me 
with  his  love  and  generosity." 


CLOVERS  ANNOUNCEMENT.  39 

"  An  irresistible  temptation,  no  doubt,"  replied 
Jack  dryly. 

"  It  was  a  great  temptation.  I  have  the  future 
of  three  children  in  my  care,  with  all  my  inexperi 
ence  ;  but  the  keenest  pang  in  my  helplessness  was 
mother's  condition." 

"  You  are  honest ;  if  you  were  equally  so  with 
my  father,  I  do  not  wonder  it  occurred  to  his  great 
heart  to  do  as  he  has  done." 

The  hot  blood  flew  to  Clover's  cheeks.  "  You 
are  wrong  to  insult  me,"  she  said,  controlling  her 
self  with  heroic  effort,  for  her  hurt  youth  longed 
to  seek  relief  in  flight  instead  of  waiting  to  par 
ley.  "  You  will  soon  know  that  Mr.  Van  Tassel 
loves  me  ;  and  —  and  "  -  suddenly  turning  sup 
pliant,  "  when  he  told  me  so,  and  represented  all 
that  he  could  do  for  me  if  I  would  consent  to 
marry  him,  why  should  I  have  refused  ?  I  did 
not  know  it  would  make  you  so  angry,  Jack, 
and,"  with  eager  explanation,  "  I  do  not  care  for 
anybody." 

Her  companion  gave  a  short  laugh.  "A  nice 
lookout  for  my  father,"  he  said  curtly. 

"  You  will  not  understand  —  you  will  not  ap 
prove  !  "  she  said  passionately,  in  a  low  voice  that 
began  to  tremble.  They  were  iiearing  her  home 
now.  "It  is  hard  for  you ;  perhaps  it  is  wrong  to 
you.  So  far  as  my  own  happiness  goes,  I  could 
give  it  all  up  for  your  sake,  for  your  rights  are 
to  be  considered.  Ah,  there  is  mother  in  the 
window.  She  sees  you,  Jack  !  " 


40  SWEET  CLOVER. 

The  white  head  behind  the  window-pane  in 
clined,  and  Van  Tassel  mechanically  lifted  his  hat. 

"Do  you  see  the  peaceful  look  in  her  face?" 
went  on  the  girl's  unsteady  voice.  "  She  has  only 
looked  like  that  since  yesterday.  No,"  with  new 
strength,  and  no  supplication  in  her  manner  as  she 
unconsciously  drew  herself  up,  "  I  will  not  waver. 
Say  what  you  please  to  me.  Think  what  you  will 
of  me  ;  I  can  have  but  one  thought,  I  must  have 
but  one,  and  that  is  — mother !  " 

Van  Tassel  lifted  his  hat  once  more,  as  to  a 
stranger. 

"  Not  one  friendly  word  ?  "  she  asked  desper 
ately,  her  breath  coming  fast. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  asked  the  other.  "  That 
I  should  wish  you  prosperity  ?  " 

"  You  surely  do  not  wish  me  ill,  Jack?  " 

"  You  have  just  declared  your  intention  not  to 
consider  me.  What  can  my  wishes  be  to  you  ? 
My  only  course  is  to  efface  myself,"  and  without 
another  word  of  farewell  Van  Tassel  bowed,  and, 
turning  on  his  heel,  hurried  away  up  the  street. 


CHAPTEK  V. 

MISS  BERRY'S  VISITORS. 

Miss  LOVINA  BERRY  stood  on  the  stone  doorstep 
of  her  square,  white  house  early  one  evening  soon 
after  the  scene  narrated  in  the  last  chapter.  The 
elm  growing  in  her  yard  would  have  put  to  shame 
those  so  carefully  tended  in  front  of  the  Van  Tas 
sel  mansion  a  thousand  miles  away,  and  more  of 
the  noble  trees  stood  outside  the  white  picket 
fence  and  shaded  the  country  road. 

The  flowers  in  her  carefully  weeded  garden 
were  homely  and  wholesome,  like  her  own  placid 
face,  as  she  stood,  elbows  in  her  hands,  regarding 
the  neighbor  who  was  in  the  act  of  departing  from 
her  hospitable  roof. 

"  You  're  sure  't  won't  inconvenience  you  a  mite, 
Loviny  ?  "  asked  the  latter,  folding  a  brown  paper 
parcel  beneath  her  shawl  as  her  anxious  upturned 
face  met  Miss  Berry's  benevolent  gaze.  "  You 
won't  need  the  pattern  this  week  ?  " 

"  No,  I  sha'n't  need  it  this  week,"  answered 
Lovina  pleasantly ;  then,  as  the  other  started  off 
contentedly  toward  the  little  white  gate,  she  added 
in  an  equable,  unvexed  undertone  :  "  but  if  I  want 
it  any  time  within  two  months  I  shall  have  to  come 
after  it,  that  I  know.  There  ain't  anybody  slack- 


42  SWEET  CLOVER. 

er  'n  you  be,  Ann  Getchell,  from  one  end  o'  Pear- 
field  to  the  other."  Miss  Berry  continued  to  watch 
contemplatively  the  woman  whom  she  had  charac 
terized  with  such  passionless  severity,  and  sud 
denly  she  saw  her  stoop. 

"  Your  posies  do  smell  so  good,  Loviny,"  Miss 
Getchell  called  back.  "  I  s'pose  you  don't  care 
if  I  take  some  old  man?  " 

Miss  Berry  smiled,  and  stepping  deliberately  off 
the  stone  advanced  toward  her  guest.  "  Take  any 
old  man  you  can  get,  Ann.  I  would  n't  lay  a  straw 
in  your  way." 

"  That 's  an  old  joke,  Loviny,"  returned  the 
other  with  a  sniff,  breaking  a  piece  of  the  feathery 
stuff  with  its  pungent  sweet  odor,  while  her  hostess 
with  generous  hand  gathered  the  best  the  garden 
afforded,  and  tying  the  nosegay  with  a  bit  of  striped 
grass,  bestowed  it  upon  the  visitor,  who  buried  her 
nose  in  its  depths. 

"  You  're  just  as  much  of  an  old  maid  as  I  be, 
you  know,"  added  Miss  Getchell  with  an  upward 
look. 

"Just  exactly,  Ann.  I  don't  know  but  more; 
more  set  in  that  direction,  as  it  were." 

Miss  Lovina's  lips  twitched  a  little  as  she  rested 
her  arms  on  the  gate  after  her  guest  had  gone  out, 
but  all  her  neighbors  had  reason  to  know  that  the 
milk  of  human  kindness  became  cream  in  her 
case,  and  Ann  Getchell  had  too  often  benefited 
by  its  richness  to  feel  less  than  content  now. 
Indeed,  as  she  turned  a  curve  in  the  country  road 


MISS  BERRY'S    VISITORS.  43 

and  hugged  closer  her  brown  paper  parcel,  she 
soliloquized  with  much  satisfaction  :  — 

"  I  was  n't  sure  she  'd  let  me  have  it.  Loviny 
always  does  set  so  much  store  by  wrhat  Mis'  Page 
sends  her,  and  that  dollman  has  got  a  style  to  it 
that  I  hain't  seen  anywhere  else.  I  can  get  it  out 
o'  my  old  gray  poplin,  I  'm  next  to  certain.  Them 
spots  don't  show  hardly  at  all  on  the  other  side  — 
Why,  Mr.  Gorham  !  "  The  spinster  started  back 
with  a  short,  shrill  screech.  "  What  a  turn  you 
did  give  me  !  Why,"  clutching  the  left  side  of 
her  dress  waist,  "  I  'm  all  of  a  tremble.  You  riz 
up  so  unexpected  from  behind  that  rock  that  I  — 
law  !  I  can't  hardly  stand  up." 

The  young  man  who  had  thus  rudely  inter 
rupted  an  absorbing  sunset  dream  looked  upon 
the  ostentatiously  perturbed  speaker  with  some 
trouble  in  his  absent  gaze. 

"  Pardon  me,  Miss  Getchell.  The  evening  is 
so  beautiful,  I  had  thrown  myself  down  in  the 
grass  there  to  listen  to  the  thrushes,  and  that  mo 
ment  happened  to  decide  I  must  be  moving.  I 
did  not  hear  your  soft  tread  approaching." 

Over  Miss  Ann's  agitated  countenance  there 
stole  a  gratified  expression.  This  reference  to 
her  soft  tread  had  a  pleasing  sound.  It  was 
characteristic  of  this  young  man  to  appear  to  com 
pliment  when  no  proceeding  was  further  from 
his  thoughts.  More  worldly-wise  and  charming 
women  than  Miss  Getchell  had  been  similarly 
misled  by  him.  Nature  in  mischievous  mood 


44  SWEET  CLOVER. 

had  added  to  his  muscular  physique  the  features 
of  a  hero  of  romance,  and  launched  him,  a  prac 
tical  joke,  upon  society. 

The  little  woman*  tilted  her  thin  head  to  one 
side  with  an  arch  air,  and  lifted  her  sharp-nosed 
face  toward  his  pensive  eyes. 

"  Ain't  it  a  coincidence  I  should  'a'  met  up  with 
you  just  now  ?  I  've  got  a  pattern  under  my  arm 
this  minute  that  your  sister 'n  law  sent  Loviny 
Berry.  I  did  n't  know  as  you  was  in  town." 

Her  companion  was  anxious  to  pass  on ;  but 
sense  of  duty  forbade.  He  had  startled  Miss 
Ann.  It  would  be  uncivil  to  leave  her  abruptly. 

"  I  have  but  just  arrived.  I  've  come  down  for 
a  flying  visit  to  Miss  Berry." 

"  Jus'  so.  I  've  jus'  come  from  there,  as  I  said. 
You  hain't  been  down  in  years,  have  you?" 

"It  is  a  long  time  for  me  to  stay  away  from 
Pearfield.  Good  "  - 

"Loviny  didn't  say  a  word  about  expectin' 
you,"  said  Miss  Ann  curiously.  "  Do  you  still 
like  lawyerin'  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  like  it.  Good  evening,  Miss  Getchell." 
He  lifted  his  hat ;  then  as  though  compunction 
prompted  the  act,  he  advanced  a  step  and  shook 
Miss  Ann's  limp  hand.  He  was  recalling  that 
she  had  been  kind  to  him  in  a  past  when  the  qual 
ity  of  apples  was  not  material,  and  the  fruit  on  her 
gnarly  little  trees  had  seemed  desirable. 

"Good  evenin',"  she  answered.  "Come  and 
see  me  if  you  're  stayin'  long  enough." 


MISS  BERRY'S   VISITORS.  45 

"  Thank  you.  I  return  to  Boston  almost  imme 
diately." 

The  young  man  pursued  his  way,  relieved  to 
be  free  again  to  give  all  his  attention  to  the  soft 
summer  sky  where  the  light  was  fading ;  to  the 
bird-notes  which  were  becoming  disconnected  and 
dreamy;  to  the  scents  which  rose  gratefully  from 
willows,  and  the  thorny  luxuriance  of  vines  that 
rioted  over  the  stone  wall  at  the  roadside. 

Miss  Berry  was  still  lingering  at  her  gate 
when  he  approached  the  house.  She  dropped  her 
hands  from  her  elbows  and  grasped  the  pickets  of 
the  fence  at  sight  of  the  face  under  the  lifted  hat. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Gorham ! "  she  exclaimed,  and 
opened  the  gate,  her  countenance  alight  with 
pleased  surprise.  "  I  was  just  thinkin'  about  you 
this  minute,  as  I  was  standin'  here." 

"  Naturally.  I  was  a  coming  event,  and  I  cast 
my  shadow  before." 

The  visitor  shook  the  plump  offered  hand  with 
no  abstraction  now  in  his  eyes,  and  his  teeth 
gleamed  beneath  his  mustache.  "  I  've  no  doubt 
I  can  tell  what  you  were  thinking  about,  too." 

"Like  enough.  I  s'pose  lawyers  know  every 
thing.  Come  into  the  house,"  said  Miss  Lovina 
hospitably. 

"Not  yet.  It  is  far  too  pleasant  here.  Where 
is  that  old  settee  that  used  to  be  under  the  oriole 
elm?  Why,  there  it  is,  of  course,  only  pushed 
to  the  other  side,"  and  the  speaker  started  for  the 
desired  haven. 


46  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Come  back,  come  back,  Gorham  Page.  Don't 
you  wade  through  the  wet  grass  !  "  exclaimed  Miss 
Berry  imperatively. 

Her  visitor  turned  around,  laughing.  "  That 
sounds  natural,  Aunt  Love,"  he  said. 

"  Well,  perhaps  it  does,"  replied  the  other  in 
half -laughing  apology  ;  "  but  have  n't  you  learned 
good  sense  yet  ?  The  dew  's  a-f allin',  and  that 
grass  ought  to  been  mowed  last  week." 

"  Do  you  remember  when  I  used  to  mow  it  for 
you?" 

"  I  remember  when  you  used  to  promise  to," 
rejoined  Miss  Berry,  the  corners  of  her  mouth 
still  twitch*ing.  "  Look  here.  I  ain't  goin'  under 
that  elm  to  set  with  my  feet  in  the  water." 

"  All  right,"  replied  Page,  succumbing  with  a 
sigh,  and  casting  a  glance  toward  the  graceful 
branches  of  the  tallest  elm,  behind  which  the  new 
moon  glimmered  in  a  primrose  sky.  "What  an 
evening! "  he  ejaculated. 

"  'M  ;  dewy  though,"  returned  Miss  Berry. 

"I  do  like  those  old  trees,"  said  her  guest 
slowly,  continuing  to  gaze. 

"  So  do  the  mosquitoes,"  replied  Miss  Berry 
inflexibly.  "  Come  up  on  to  the  stoop." 

Page,  with  a  smile  of  amusement,  followed  his 
hostess  to  the  piazza,  where  she  ensconced  him  in 
one  rocking  chair,  and  herself  in  another. 

"  Do  the  orioles  still  hold  possession  of  that 
elm?" 

"  Yes." 


MISS  BERRY'S    VISITORS.  47 

"  I  'm  glad  of  that.  The  rest  of  the  world  may 
change,  and  must ;  but  I  'm  jealous  of  a  hair's 
breadth  of  change  in  Pearfield." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know.  The  hang-birds  squabble 
a  good  deal,"  remarked  Miss  Lovina  impartially. 

Her  guest  laughed  again.  The  fact  being  that 
very  few  things  in  life  moved  him  to  laughter,  he 
was  enjoying  himself  hugely. 

"  You  are  too  practical ;  too  unsentimental, 
Aunt  Love,"  he  asserted  argumentatively. 

"Too  unsentimental,  hey?"  responded  Miss 
Berry,  folding  her  hands  over  the  white  apron 
that  protected  her  striped  gingham  gown.  "  That 's 
pretty  good  from  you.  What  does  it  mean  ?  Have 
you  repented  o'  your  singular  ways,  and  been 
fallin'  in  love  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  responded  the  other,  more  seriously ; 
then  added  simply,  as  though  stating  an  undeni 
able  fact,  "  I  am  always  falling  in  love." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  get  married  ? "  asked 
Miss  Lovina  bluntly.  "  I  have  n't  heard  a  thing 
about  you  in  so  long,  I  did  n't  know  but  what  you 
was  married,  only  I  had  n't  received  any  cake.  I 
did  n't  believe  you  'd  forget  me." 

"  No,"  said  Page.  "  If  I  could  be  as  loyal  to 
any  girl  as  I  am  to  you,  Aunt  Love,  I  should  cer 
tainly  ask  her  if  she.  would  have  me." 

"  But  if  you  fall  in  love  ?  "  asked  Miss  Berry, 
perplexed. 

"  The  trouble  is  I  don't  stay  in  love,"  explained 
Page  with  simple  sincerity.  "  I  can't  help  forget- 


48  SWEET  CLOVER. 

ting  about  the  young  lady  in  a  little  while.  It 
really  makes  me  blue  sometimes.  Now  this  sum 
mer  at  Bar  Harbor  I  met  a  girl  who  was  remarka 
bly  pleasant.  Pretty,  clever,  a  good  talker.  Her 
tastes  and  mine  coincided.  My  mind  was  full  of 
her  when  I  left  the  place." 

"  Have  you  heard  from  her  since  ?  "  asked  Miss 
Berry  with  interest.  This  certainly  sounded  en 
couraging. 

"  Oh  yes.  I  have  sent  her  candy  and  flowers 
and  books  from  time  to  time,"  responded  Page, 
beginning  to  look  serious  and  abstracted. 

"  Then  you  write  to  each  other  ?  " 

"  Yes,  oh  yes,  we  do  —  yes.  Come  to  think  of 
it,  though,"  Page  gave  a  short  uncomfortable  laugh, 
"  I  believe  I  never  answered  her  last  letter.  I  've 
forgotten.  I  must  look  it  up  when  I  get  back  to 
town,  if  I  can  remember  it.  Aunt  Love,"  bright 
ening,  "  are  those  scalloped  cookies  still  in  the  tin 
box?  " 

"  Child  !  You  haven't  had  any  supper !  "  Miss 
Berry  sprang  to  her  feet  with  astonishing  celerity, 
her  plumpness  considered. 

The  guest  also  rose.  "  Yes  I  have,  but  I  want 
a  cookie." 

"  Then  I  '11  get  it  for  you." 

"  No,  no ;  that  would  spoil  everything."  Page 
took  his  hostess  by  her  plump,  comfortable  arms 
and  forced  her  back  into  her  seat. 

"  There  ain't  a  bit  o'  light  in  there,"  remarked 
Miss  Berry  resignedly. 


MISS  BERRY' S    VISITORS.  49 

"  That  was  the  condition  of  things  when  my  aim 
for  the  cookies  used  to  be  most  unerring,"  returned 
the  visitor,  disappearing  into  the  house. 

He  returned  shortly,  carrying  in  one  hand  a 
cookie  which  already  had  lost  from  its  side  a  gen 
erous  semicircle,  and  in  the  other  a  round,  deep 
tin  box  which  he  placed  at  an  impartial  distance 
between  his  own  chair  and  Miss  Lovina's. 

"  Those  are  not  my  usual  cookies,"  stated  the 
latter,  meditatively  regarding  the  box  as  her  guest 
settled  himself  with  a  sigh  of  content. 

Page  smiled.  "  That 's  all  right,"  he  answered. 
"  You  know  they  never  were." 

"  Now  I  deny  it,  Gorham  Page,"  rejoined  Miss 
Berry  warmly.  "  I  was  never  one  to  make  ex 
cuses  all  the  time,  and  you  can't  say  I  was ;  not 
truthfully  you  can't." 

"  These  are  exactly  right,  anyway,"  returned  the 
other  calmly.  "  There  never  was  a  cookie  outside 
this  house  that  tasted  as  good." 

"  Oh  now,  that 's  silly,  Mr.  Gorham,"  returned 
Miss  Berry  with  a  pleased  smile. 

"  No,  it  is  sound  sense.  I  feel  old,  and  tired  of 
things  very  often.  If  I  could  only  get  hold  of  one 
of  these  at  such  moments,  I  should  be  young  again 
in  a  minute,  with  an  appetite  for  everything.  If 
you  should  some  day  receive  a  telegram  asking 
for  a  cookie,  you  may  know  that  I  need  to  be 
rejuvenated,  and  mail  me  one  at  once." 

"  Have  you  forgotten  my  currant  wine  ?  "  asked 
Miss  Berry  radiantly. 


50  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Well,  I  guess  not !  But  you  never  let  me 
know  where  you  kept  that." 

His  hostess  laughed.  "  No  sir,  indeed  I  did  n't. 
You  set  where  you  are,  and  I  '11  fetch  it  out." 

She  was  as  good  as  her  word,  and  in  a  short 
time  a  little  table  stood  at  Page's  elbow,  and  upon 
it  a  bottle  and  two  glasses. 

"  I  am  sure  I  'in  a  big  boy  now,"  he  laughed,  as 
he  poured  the  wine,  "  since  you  trust  me  with  this. 
I  well  remember  the  half  glasses  you  used  to  give 
me  as  a  treat.  How  many  summers  did  we  come 
here,  Aunt  Love  ?  " 

"  Pretty  near  every  year  after  you  was  ten  years 
old  till  you  went  to  college." 

A  little  silence  fell  between  them,  for  it  was  that 
summer  before  Page's  collegiate  life  began  that  his 
mother  bade  him  a  last  good-by  upstairs  in  this 
very  house,  in  the  low-ceiled  chamber  where  the 
branches  of  the  oriole  elm  cast  their  shadow. 

"  How  's  your  cousin  Jack  ?  I  wonder  if  he  re 
members  Pearfield  too,"  continued  Miss  Berry. 

"  Indeed  he  does.  He  graduated  from  Harvard 
this  year,  and  of  course  I  attended  the  Commence 
ment.  He  asked  for  you,  and  I  told  him  I  did  n't 
know  half  as  much  about  you  as  I  ought  to ;  so 
when  your  business  letter  reached  me  last  week,  I 
determined  to  answer  it  in  person,  and  I  hope  you 
will  pardon  what  was  unbusinesslike  delay,  for  I 
could  not  arrange  to  come  at  once." 

"I  feel  as  though  I"  -Miss  Berry  was  be 
ginning  diffidently,  when  a  small  dark  whirlwind 


MISS  BERRY'S    VISITORS.  51 

rattled  the  tin  cake  box,  jostled  the  table,  and 
leaped  frantically  against  Miss  Lovina's  arm,  up 
setting  some  drops  of  wine  upon  the  clean  white 
apron. 

"  Get  out !  get  down  !  Your  paws  are  dirty  !  " 
she  exclaimed,  emphasizing  her  unflattering  pro 
tests  with  slaps  at  the  panting,  bounding,  shaggy 
terrier,  who  at  last  seated  himself  for  an  instant  on 
his  stump  of  a  tail,  before  rising  to  take  a  minute 
survey  of  the  visitor's  pantaloons. 

"  Oh,  you  nuisance ! "  apostrophized  Miss  Lo- 
vina,  wiping  up  the  wine  drops  with  her  handker 
chief.  "  He  's  been  to  get  the  cow  with  Obed.  He 
goes  every  night,  and  he  always  races  home  like 
a  mad  thing,  just  as  though  it  had  come  over  him 
up  in  the  pastur'  that  p'raps  I  'd  give  him  the 
slip  and  go  off  somewheres  without  him.  No  sir, 
don't  you  touch  that  cookie  box ! "  for  the  ter 
rier's  eyes  were  gleaming  through  the  mat  of  hair, 
and  his  mobile  nose  worked  hungrily,  first  to 
ward  Page's  hand,  and  then  toward  the  base  of 
supplies. 

"  H'm !  He  evidently  knows  those  cookies,  and 
agrees  with  my  estimate  of  them,"  said  the  young 
man,  breaking  a  piece  and  offering  it  *to  the  dog 
as  he  returned  alertly  from  Miss  Berry's  vigorous 
push.  The  creature  swallowed  the  morsel,  and  at 
each  mouthful  Page  took  thereafter,  became  con 
vulsed  throughout  his  rough  body,  then  planted 
his  four  feet  firmly  and  expectantly,  and  emitted 
a  little  bark.  "  This  is  an  innovation,"  continued 


52  SWEET  CLOVER 

the  guest.  "  Pearfield  does  move,  it  seems,  after 
all." 

"  Oh,  well,"  sighed  Miss  Lovina,  lifting  the 
cookie  box  to  a  safe  perch  on  the  table,  "  it 's  none 
o'  my  doin'.  Since  the  last  season  you  spent  here 
I  have  n't  made  it  any  reg'lar  thing  to  keep  sum 
mer  boarders ;  but  last  year  a  lady  was  here  with 
her  children,  and  nurse,  and  this  dog.  They  had 
him  new  for  a  plaything  for  the  children,  and  they 
was  too  little  to  like  him.  He  's  the  livest  thing, 
Blitzen  is,  that  ever  walked,  anyway.  No,  I  ain't 
talkin'  to  you.  Keep  down  !  And  he  scared  the 
children  with  his  wild  ways.  The  upshot  of  it  was, 
they  all  went  off  and  left  him  on  my  hands.  Mrs. 
Siddall  said  it  was  so  much  trouble  to  travel  with 
him  that  if  he  bothered  me  I  might  give  him  away 
to  somebody  in  the  village.  Humph  !  That  was 
all  very  well  to  say.  I  've  given  him  to  four  folks 
already." 

Page  smiled  and  gave  the  dog  another  mouthful. 
"  Wise  Blitzen.  He  knows  which  side  his  bread  is 
buttered  on,"  was  his  comment. 

"He  wouldn't  stay  tied  up,  nor  shut  up,  no 
more  'n  a  witch,"  continued  Miss  Berry,  "  and 
every  time  he  'd  come  back,  he  looked  rougher 
than  the  last  time ;  and  when  he  'd  catch  sight  o' 
me,  he  'd  act  foolish  and  actually  laugh.  It 's  a 
fact.  He  'd  grin  till  he  showed  every  tooth  in  his 
head.  Of  course  I  gave  in  at  last.  I  had  to. 
He  's  a  knowin'  critter,"  sighed  Miss  Lovina ;  "  he 
knows  everything  on  earth  only  just  that  I  don't 


MISS  BERRY'S    VISITORS.  53 

want  him.  He  's  set  out  to  deny  that,  and  he  '11 
stick  to  it." 

"  He  seems  to  be  a  fine  dog  of  his  kind,"  said 
Page. 

"  Yes.  They  said  he  cost  a  lot  o'  money,"  re 
turned  Miss  Berry,  regarding  the  terrier  dubiously. 
"  I  did  think  though,  first  off,  that  I  should  never 
get  to  tell  quick  which  was  which  end  of  him.  He 
has  n't  got  tail  enough  to  wag,  and  he  's  so  rough 
and  queer  he  's  given  me  a  start  many  a  time 
barkin'  in  the  direction  I  did  n't  expect.  What 
were  we  talkin'  about  when  Blitzen  broke  in?" 

"  I  was  asking  pardon  for  my  delay  in  respond 
ing  about  your  business  matter.  I  told  you  when 
I  met  you  at  the  gate  that  I  knew  you  were  think 
ing,  as  you  stood  there,  that  it  was  strange  that  I 
should  be  neglectful  of  you." 

"  Well,  I  was  n't.  I  was  wonderin'  if  I  'd  done 
the  right  thing  to  bother  you  about  the  matter  any 
way." 

"  Decidedly  you  did.  It  is  a  problem  I  can 
solve  for  you  with  very  little  trouble,  I  'm  sure,  if 
you  will  show  me  the  papers  you  spoke  of.  I  have 
robbed  the  tin  box  shamefully  and  the  light  has 
gone  ;  supposing  we  go  into  the  house  and  talk  the 
matter  over.  My  time  in  Pearfield  is  limited.  I 
sail  for  Germany  next  Saturday,  and  I  have  con 
siderable  to  do  between  now  and  then." 

"  Well,  if  you  ain't  clever  to  me,"  said  Miss 
Berry  gratefully,  as  she  rose  and  led  the  way  into 
the  house,  while  Page  followed  with  the  impedi- 


54  SWEET   CLOVER. 

menta  of  box  and  bottle,  and  the  further  embar 
rassment  of  Blitzen,  who  writhed  ingeniously  about 
his  legs,  evidently  intending  to  make  clear  his  ad 
herence  to  one  who  could  command  cake  at  such 
an  astonishing  time  and  place. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE    UNEXPECTED    GUEST. 

Miss  BERRY'S  legal  question  was  at  last  dis 
posed  of.  Page  carefully  mapped  out  a  plan  of 
action  for  her,  and  explained  each  detail  with  pains 
taking  kindness. 

"You  are  clever  to  me,  Mr.  Gorham,"  she  re 
peated  gratefully,  when  all  was  made  clear.  "  Now 
I  want  to  pay  you  exactly  as  any  of  your  clients 
would,"  she  added,  in  a  business-like  tone. 

uYou  can't,"  he  answered,  throwing  himself 
back  in  his  chair,  "for  they  don't  any  of  them 
make  such  cookies  as  you  do." 

"Now  please  don't  joke,"  she  begged,  half- 
laughing.  "  You  've  had  the  cookies  already." 

"  Of  course,  just  a  retaining  fee  as  it  were. 
Blitzen  and  I  want  some  more  before  I  go  to  bed." 

"  But  such  an  obligation,"  pleaded  Miss  Berry. 

"  Such  a  pleasure,  Aunt  Love,"  rejoined  her  law-     V 
yer.     "  Now,  to  change  the  subject,  what  is  Pear-     \\ 
field's  opinion  about  the   World's  Fair?     WhereT* 
do  you  think  it  ought  to  be  held  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  enough  about  the  different  cities 
to  say,"  returned  Miss  Berry.  "I  see  by  the 
papers  some  o'  the  Western  cities  think  they  have 
as  good  a  right  as  anybody.  Chicago  is  after  it. 


56  SWEET   CLOVER. 

Such  an  idea !  As  though  folks  want  to  have  to 
traipse  way  across  the  country  to  see  the  Fair.  I 
don't  know  much  about  public  questions,"  con 
tinued  Miss  Lovina,  complacently  smoothing  her 
apron,  "  but  I  know  enough  to  see  that  there  ain't 
any  sense  in  that  notion,  and  reasonable  folks  won't 
listen  to  it ;  not  but  what  Chicago  's  a  good  deal 
of  a  city,  I  s'pose." 

"  Chicagoans  have  that  idea,"  answered  Page, 
smiling.  "  I  have  a  friend  who  recently  returned 
from  Europe ;  and  he  says  that  one  day  in  the 
boat's  music-room  he  found  on  the  table  a  book 
purporting  to  portray  only  Chicago  and  its  sub 
urbs.  There  were  pictures  in  it  of  Niagara  Falls 
and  the  Yellowstone  Park." 

"  Do  tell ! "  exclaimed  Miss  Berry,  laughing. 
"  Well,  where  do  you  want  the  Fair  to  be,  Mr. 
Gorham?" 

"Oh,  I  feel  as  though  New  York  were  the 
proper  place.  I  think  it  is  the  general  feeling 
that  it  would  be  a  risk  to  trust  a  matter  like  that 
to  Chicago.  There  has  been  a  very  clever  cartoon 
published  recently  in  New  York,  showing  our  prin 
cipal  cities  represented  as  pretty  women  standing 
in  a  semicircle  around  Uncle  Sam  waiting  to  see 
which  shall  receive  a  bouquet  which  he  holds  in 
his  hands  labeled  '  World's  Fair,'  —  that  is,  they 
are  all  pretty  women  except  Chicago,  who  is  a 
half-grown,  scrawny  girl,  arrayed  in  an  evening 
gown  covered  with  a  pattern  of  little  pigs.  She 
has  huge  diamonds  blazing  in  her  breast  and  ears, 


THE    UNEXPECTED    GUEST.  57 

her  thin  arms  are  bare,  and  the  hands  she  wildly 
stretches  out  to  Uncle  Sam  wear  white  kid  gloves 
with  one  button  at  the  wrist.  Her  mouth  is  wide 
open,  and  she  is  evidently  vociferously  demanding 
the  prize,  while  New  York,  a  beautiful  society  girl, 
gazes  at  her  with  well-bred  scorn.  For  my  own 
part,  I  think  New  York  may  overdo  the  nonchalant 
business,  and  if  she  does,  the  energetic  maiden 
stands  a  good  chance  to  gain  her  end." 

"  How  do  you  suppose  your  cousin  Jack  likes  to 
have  his  city  made  such  game  of  ? "  asked  Miss 
Lovina. 

"  Oh,  I  fancy  Jack  has  learned  by  this  time  to 
view  the  Garden  City  from  a  Bostonian  standpoint. 
I  don't  know  what  his  views  are  on  the  subject  of 
the  Fair.  I  have  seen  very  little  of  him  the  last 
years." 

"  You  are  liable  to  make  up  for  it  in  the  year  to 
come,"  said  a  new  voice  suddenly. 

Blitzen  had  already  run  growling  toward  a  win 
dow,  and  now  barked  furiously  as  Jack  Van  Tassel 
walked  into  the  room  and  Miss  Lovina  and  her 
guest  sprang  to  their  feet. 

"  Forgive  the  intrusion,"  added  the  new-comer, 
in  the  handshaking  that  ensued.  "  I  looked 
through  the  window  and  saw  you  sitting  here  so 
comfortably,  I  thought  it  a  pity  to  make  you  the 
trouble  of  coming  to  the  door.  Aunt  Love,  how 
are  you  ?  You  did  n't  expect  to  see  me  here, 
Gorham?" 

"  Where  have  you  dropped  from  ?     You  were 


58  SWEET   CLOVER. 

in  Chicago  day  before  yesterday,"  rejoined  his 
cousin. 

"  I  don't  deny  it.  Thank  you,  Aunt  Love.  I 
used  to  like  this  rocking  chair  when  my  feet 
would  n't  touch  the  floor  as  I  sat  in  it.  What  do 
I  see?  If  there  is  n't  the  cookie  box !  " 

"  Yes,  and  you  're  in  great  luck  to  come  as  soon 
as  you  have,  for  I  was  just  meditating  another  on 
slaught  upon  it." 

"  Well,  if  you  two  great  boys  ain't  as  bad  as 
you  ever  were !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Berry  in  high 
delight,  as  she  hastened  to  bring  forth  the  currant 
wine  again  for  the  delectation  of  her  new  guest. 

"  Perhaps  you  will  explain  yourself,"  remarked 
Page  curiously,  hospitably  reaching  out  the  tin  box 
and  meanwhile  making  attempts  to  hold  Blitzen 
off  with  his  foot ;  an  effort  which  met  the  success 
attendant  on  similar  treatment  of  quicksilver. 

"  Why,  I  've  come  to  see  Aunt  Love,"  responded 
Jack.  "Why  should  n't  I?" 

Miss  Berry  looked  at  his  brilliant,  graceful  face 
and  figure  admiringly.  "Why  not,  indeed?"  she 
said,  laughing.  "  I  was  always  good  to  you,  was  n't 
I,  Mr.  Jack?" 

"Too  good.  Far  too  good.  I  remember  every 
thing." 

"  That  is  all  very  well ;  but  why  did  you  bid  me 
a  long  farewell  a  week  ago,  and  then  turn  around 
and  come  back  again?"  persisted  Page. 

Jack  tossed  off  a  glass  of  wine.  "  Better  than 
ever ! "  he  exclaimed,  sending  Miss  Berry  one  of 


THE    UNEXPECTED   GUEST.  59 

the  caressing,  admiring  looks  which  warmed  any 
feminine  heart  toward  which  they  were  directed. 
Then  he  turned  to  his  cousin.  "  Because,  my  dear 
Gorham,  I  have  repented  of  my  rejection  of  your 
offer,  and  after  I've  talked  over  old  times  suffi 
ciently  with  Aunt  Love,  it  is  my  intention  to  ac 
company  you  to  Germany.  Do  you  accept  my 
apology?" 

"  Good  enough,"  commented  Page  briefly,  but 
with  evident  satisfaction.  "Your  decision  must 
have  been  sudden,  though.  What  was  the  matter  ? 
Did  Chicago  grate  upon  your  esthetic  sense  in  her 
scramble  for  the  Fair?" 

"She  isn't  scrambling,  that  I  know  of.  She 
does  n't  need  to.  She  '11  get  the  Fair  all  right. 
Any  one  can  see  with  half  an  eye  that  Chicago  is 
the  only  place  for  it,  —  the  foreordained  place." 

Page  laughed  quietly  and  skeptically,  and  there 
followed  one  of  the  arguments  of  which  every 
American  citizen  knows  the  pros  and  cons. 

That  night  Miss  Berry  put  her  unexpected  guests 
into  two  bedrooms  which  communicated.  When 
her  last  good  wishes  for  their  comfort  had  been  ex 
pressed  and  good-nights  said,  the  two  men  looked 
at  each  other  as  they  listened  to  her  retreating  foot 
steps. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Page,  "  if  the  explanation  you 
gave  me  downstairs  is  all  you  care  to  say,  I  'm  sat 
isfied." 

The  brightness  had  faded  from  Van  Tassel's  face. 
He  looked  moody  and  worn. 


60  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  No,  I  meant  to  tell  you,  of  course,"  he  answered, 
seating  himself  on  the  side  of  the  bed.  "  I  found 
when  I  reached  home  that  father  had  assumed 
charge  of  an  orphan  asylum,  and  I  thought  I  should 
be  better  off  out  of  the  way." 

"  What  do  you  mean?  " 

"  Exactly  what  I  say.  He  is  going  to  marry  the 
eldest  member,  in  order  to  facilitate  matters." 

"  Uncle  Richard  is  going  to  marry  again,  and 
you  have  quarreled  with  him?" 

Jack  shook  his  head  quickly.  "  I  don't  quarrel 
with  father,"  he  replied  briefly. 

Page  sat  down  in  a  blue  chintz  armchair  by  the 
window  and  pushed  open  the  blind ;  then  recollect 
ing  that  one  of  Aunt  Love's  last  warnings  had  been 
not  to  do  so  on  account  of  mosquitoes,  he  closed  it 
again. 

"  Uncle  Richard  has  been  a  widower  for  fifteen 
years,"  he  said.  "  He  is  scarcely  over  fifty  years 
old.  Are  n't  you  unreasonable  to  resent  his  marry- 
ing?" 

Van  Tassel,  his  sombre  eyes  fixed  on  the  palm- 
leaves  in  the  ingrain  carpet,  emitted  an  inarticulate 
sound. 

"  What  more  appropriate,"  continued  his  cousin, 
"  than  that  he  should  select  a  widow,  even  supposing 
she  has  children.  He  has  plenty  of  money.  I  can 
see  how  it  would  make  you  feel  sore  and  change 
your  home  feeling  at  first ;  but  Uncle  Richard  has 
such  a  level  head,  you  may  be  certain  that  the  lady 
is  such  a  one  as  you  will  like  after  a  time." 


THE    UNEXPECTED   GUEST.  61 

Jack  gave  a  short,  unmirthf  ul  laugh.  "  The  lady 
has  n't  any  children.  What  a  pity  you  can't  see 
her !  She  is  a  little  girl  who  went  to  school  with 
me  at  home ;  and  she  has  an  invalid  mother,  some 
younger  sisters,  and  a  brother  on  her  hands." 

Page  raised  his  heavy  eyebrows  and  gave  a  soft 
whistle. 

"  As  they  have  nothing  in  the  world,  they  have 
roped  father  in." 

"  That 's  bad !  "  admitted  the  older  man  with 
some  sympathetic  disgust.  "  Then  you  have  quar 
reled  with  Uncle  Richard,  for  of  course  you  at 
tempted  to  dissuade  him." 

"  Not  at  all.  I  arrived  home  to  find  the  engage 
ment  a  fixed  fact  and  all  the  parties  satisfied. 
What  was  there  to  be  done  ?  " 

"  You  did  n't  come  away  without  saying  any 
thing?" 

"  No,  no.  I  would  n't  do  that,  and  I  believe  that 
in  place  of  anything  else  to  be  proud  of,  I  shall 
always  be  proud  of  having  had  some  self-control 
in  that  last  interview  with  father.  I  knew  all  the 
time,  hot  and  angry  as  I  was,  that  if  I  said  to  him 
what  I  felt,  I  should  repent  of  hurting  him  all 
my  life.  He  is  the  noblest  man,  the  best  father, 
that  ever  lived."  The  speaker's  eyes  grew  bright, 
and  Page  believed  it  was  with  moisture. 

"  I  'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,"  he  rejoined 
heartily.  "  You  are  right,  I  know.  Uncle  Rich 
ard  is  one  man  in  a  thousand,  and  it  would  be 
easy  enough  to  believe  that  even  a  young  girl 


62  SWEET   CLOVER 

might   feel  a  deep  and   romantic  attachment   for 
him." 

Van  Tassel  shook  his  head.  "  You  are  all  off 
again.  Say  all  you  like  in  praise  of  father, 
but" 

"  But  why  be  prejudiced  ? "  suggested  Page 
hopefully.  "  This  Miss  —  Miss  "  - 

"  Bryant." 

"  Why  should  you,  on  the  circumstantial  evi 
dence  of  her  family's  need,  decide  that  she  is  only 
mercenary  ?  Perhaps  she  loves  " 

"  And  perhaps  she  does  n't,"  interrupted  Jack 
impatiently.  "  She  says  she  does  n't." 

"What?" 

"  Yes,  Clover  is  a  very  honest  girl,  and  she  was 
good  enough  to  inform  me  of  the  neutral  state  of 
her  affections." 

"  Well,  well !  I  must  say  Uncle  Richard  is 
beginning  to  puzzle  me.  He  has  seen  this  girl 
grow  up.  Is  she  so  irresistibly  beautiful  ?  " 

"What  an  idea!  No.  My  father  puzzles  me 
too,  I  assure  you,  but  I  must  believe  he  loves  her, 
and  in  the  face  of  that,  Gorham,"  Van  Tassel 
looked  up  with  strong  feeling  in  face  and  voice, 
"  that  dear  old  fellow  made  sure  that  he  would  n't 
be  interfering  with  me  before  he  spoke  to  her. 
He  came  to  me  just  before  leaving  Cambridge, 
and  asked  me  if  I  cared  for  her.  Of  course  I 
did  n't  suspect  anything.  It  seemed  only  a  consist 
ent  carrying  out  of  the  desire  he  has  always  had 
to  anticipate  my  every  wish.  He  urged  nothing. 


THE    UNEXPECTED    GUEST.  63 

but  persisted  gently  till  he  discovered  what  he  was 
after ;  and  I  tell  you  it  touches  me  —  in  the  light 
of  present  circumstances  it  touches  me  to  think 
about  it.  He  would  have  given  up  his  wishes ;  no 
one  would  ever  have  been  allowed  to  suspect  them, 
had  they  conflicted  with  mine."  The  speaker 
rose,  crossed  the  room,  and  stood  with  his  back 
to  his  cousin,  while  he  regarded  the  antlered  cows 
in  a  framed  sampler  executed  by  Miss  Lovina's 
mother. 

"  No  wonder  you  are  glad  that  you  said  nothing 
offensive  at  parting,"  remarked  Page. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Jack,  turning  back.  "  I  have 
been  in  twenty  different  minds  since  taking  the 
train  for  Boston,  as  to  whether  I  do  right  or  wrong 
to  go  to  Europe  now.  Very  few  words  passed 
between  father  and  me  about  it.  I  had  some 
hours  to  think  before  meeting  him,  after  learning 
what  he  had  done,  and  I  merely  told  him  that 
Clover  had  told  me  of  their  engagement.  He 
looked  right  at  me  and  he  understands  me  pretty 
well.  '  Does  it  displease  you,  Jack  ?  '  he  asked. 
4  It  surprises  me,  sir,'  I  answered,  4  and  it  makes 
me  feel  that  while  matters  are  in  the  transition 
state  which  is  coming,  I  might  perhaps  as  well  put 
in  that  year  abroad  you  spoke  of.'  He  was  silent 
for  a  minute,  and  I  knew  that,  try  as  I  might,  I 
couldn't  mislead  him  much  as  to  my  feelings,  so  I 
braced  up  and  spoke  as  naturally  as  I  could,  about 
how  deeply  I  desired  his  happiness,  and  said  that 
if  my  staying  at  home  would  conduce  to  it,  I 


64  SWEET  CLOVER. 

would  stay.  He  thought  a  minute  more,  and  then 
he  said  as  quietly  as  he  always  says  everything, 
'  You  had  better  go,  Jack.'  " 

The  speaker  paid  one  more  visit  to  the  sampler 
with  its  angular  green  trees. 

After  a  minute  Page  broke  the  silence :  "  I 
believe  you  have  decided  wisely.  I  believe  you 
had  better  come  with  me." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ON   THE   RAIL. 

THE  following  week  the  two  sailed  for  Ger 
many  ;  but  when  home-coming  time  for  Page 
arrived,  his  cousin  did  not  accompany  him.  Mr. 
Van  Tassel  had  married  the  month  after  his  son 
left,  and  although  his  affectionate  letters  held  out 
an  invariable  welcome,  they  made  it  easy  for  Jack 
to  stay  amid  the  novel  scenes  which  allured  him. 
Gorham  Page,  therefore,  was  alone  when  he  reen- 
tered  Boston,  one  day  in  the  following  August. 
The  sister-in-law  with  whom  he  made  his  home 
was,  he  knew,  at  the  seashore,  and  after  a  brief 
visit  to  her  deserted  flat,  and  a  hasty  repacking, 
he  took  a  cab  for  the  Boston  and  Maine  depot. 

He  was  rather  late  for  his  train,  and  he  boarded 
it  to  find  it  crowded.  Passing  from  one  car  to 
another  in  vain  search  for  a  seat,  he  descried, 
standing  in  an  aisle,  a  tall  young  girl,  who 
attracted  his  attention  at  once,  by  reason  of  her 
superb  figure  fashionably  clothed  in  plainest 
black,  and  the  annoyance  on  her  fresh  face.  She 
held  a  satchel  in  her  hand,  and  was  vainly  endeav 
oring  to  appear  indifferent,  after  a  heated  appeal 
to  a  badgered  conductor  who  had  apparently 
sought  relief  from  a  suffering  public  in  deafness. 


66  SWEET   CLOVER. 

When  Page,  who  was  slightly  short-sighted, 
approached  near  enough  to  discern  the  impatient 
golden  lights  in  her  hazel  eyes,  and  the  underlip 
caught  beneath  her  teeth,  he  took  in  the  situation, 
and  gave  one  more  searching  glance  around  the 
crowded  day-car ;  the  parlor  car  he  had  already 
discovered  to  be  hopeless. 

"  This  is  very  uncomfortable,"  he  said,  address 
ing  the  girl  and  raising  his  hat.  "I  have  not 
quite  despaired  of  finding  a  seat.  Won't  you  fol 
low  me  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  all  through,"  she  answered,  but 
she  followed  him. 

The  next  car  was  packed  with  equal  solidity ; 
but  Page  moved  forward,  and  on  the  platform  was 
motioned  away  by  a  brakeman. 

"Back,  please.  Next  car's  a  sleeper.  Takin' 
it  to  Portland.  No  passengers." 

"  Is  it  locked?  "  asked  Page,  pushing  by. 

"  No,  't  ain't  locked,  but  "  - 

Page  interrupted  the  slow  drawl  decidedly,  and 
put  aside  the  detaining  hand.  "  Oh,  well,  people 
can't  stand,  you  know,"  and  with  an  encouraging 
look  around  at  the  damsel  in  distress,  who  fol 
lowed  him  with  alacrity,  he  opened  the  door  of  the 
Pullman,  and  ushered  her  into  the  luxurious 
empty  car. 

"  Thank  you  so  much,"  said  the  girl  gratefully, 
as  she  took  possession  of  one  section  and  her  bene 
factor  seated  himself  across  the  way. 

One  by  one  a  dozen  ojher  passengers  came  in 


ON   THE  RAIL.  67 

and  availed  themselves  of  this  unexpected  privilege, 
and  the  pessimistic  conductor  contented  himself  by 
collecting  fifty  cents  from  each  individual. 

Page  had  an  eye  for  beauty,  and  as  his  position 
made  it  possible  to  do  so  undetected,  he  regarded 
his  neighbor  appreciatively.  The  world  is  full  of 
pretty  girls,  thank  heaven,  but  this  one  was  un 
usual  inasmuch  as  she  was  built  on  such  large  lines 
as  to  make  approval  a  matter  of  taste.  Page  did 
approve.  He  mentally  called  her  a  young  Juno 
as  he  regarded  her  flat  back  and  fine  shoulders, 
her  clear  healthy  skin  and  the  Cupid's  bow  of  her 
upper  lip.  Her  thick  brown  hair  was  uncrimped 
and  smoothly  brushed  toward  the  coil  at  the  back 
of  her  head.  She  was  what  is  called  in  the  par 
lance  of  the  day  a  tailor-made  girl,  and  her  physique 
suggested  rowing  and  tennis. 

Page  thought  this,  and  wished  he  had  an  excuse 
to  speak  with  her.  The  fact  that  he  had  happened 
to  do  her  a  slight  favor  made  this  more  than  usually 
impossible,  so  after  a  while  he  abandoned  his  re 
gard  of  her  piquant  profile,  in  favor  of  the  land 
scape  from  his  own  window. 

About  now  the  conversation  between  two  men  in 
the  section  behind  this  fin  de  siecle  maiden  became 
loud  enough  to  take  half  the  car  into  their  confi 
dence.  They  were  discussing  the  incongruous 
situation  of  the  World's  Fair  ;  for  in  the  previous 
April  Uncle  Sam  had  yielded,  and  thrown  his 
bouquet  to  that  one  of  his  daughters  which,  accord 
ing  to  the  cartoonist,  had  clamored  and  importuned 


68  SWEET   CLOVER. 

the  loudest.  The  crude,  unformed,  ill-bred  crea 
ture  now  had  this  treasure  in  her  keeping,  and  the 
righteous  indignation  and  despair  of  those  two  New 
Hampshire  men  filled  the  car.  What  could  be 
expected  but  national  disgrace?  What  was  the 
matter  with  the  powers  at  Washington  that  they 
had  not  in  some  way  averted  such  a  disaster?  A 
good  many  people  thought  it  a  joke  ;  these  gentle 
men  could  see  nothing  amusing  in  having  our 
country  held  up  to  ridicule. 

As  the  discussion  waxed  and  waned,  Page  listened 
to  it  perforce,  at  first  indifferently,  then  with  more 
interest  as  he  discovered  that  it  was  affecting  his 
fair  neighbor.  He  could  see  her  cheek  grow  hot, 
could  see  that  she  held  herself  with  greater  rigidity. 
She  bit  her  lip  from  time  to  time,  and  once  she 
moved  her  head  slowly  around  as  if  inclined  to 
glance  at  the  noisy  talkers ;  but  half  way  her  deep 
luminous  eyes  shot  their  golden  lightning  straight 
into  Page's,  and  recovering  herself  she  turned  back 
and  looked  ahead  again. 

The  sunshine  had  begun  to  pour  in  at  her  win 
dow,  and  she  suddenly  seized  the  blind  to  pull  it 
down.  It  fitted  tightly  after  the  manner  of  its 
kind,  and  her  first  effort  was  not  successful.  It 
was  probably  not  a  case  for  assistance,  as  the  young 
woman  looked  as  though  her  muscle  would  be  equal 
to  considerable  strain,  but  Page  spontaneously  left 
his  seat. 

"  Allow  me,"  he  said,  and  drew  the  blind  down. 

The  girl  thanked  him  rather  severely.     Page's 


ON  THE  RAIL.  69 

shipboard  experience  of  comparative  informality 
with  strangers  was  fresh  upon  him.  He  spoke  on 
the  impulse  of  the  moment,  feeling  sure  that  the 
severity  was  not  intended  for  him. 

"  Would  n't  you  prefer  to  change  seats  with  me? 
Perhaps  you  would  be  less  annoyed  there  by  con 
versation  as  well  as  sunlight." 

"  You  heard  something  of  it,  then,"  the  girl 
exclaimed ;  "  but  I  think  they  have  said  all  the 
ignorant,  stupid  things  they  can  think  of.*' 

"  I  saw  that  the  remarks  were  troubling  you," 
said  Page,  seating  himself  opposite  in  her  section. 
"  The  Garden  City  has  one  champion,  I  'm  sure." 

"  Bear,  generous  Chicago !  "  ejaculated  the  girl, 
and  her  youthful  wrath  was  very  entertaining  to  her 
neighbor.  "  It  is  the  best  thing  that  ever  happened 
to  the  country  that  we  are  to  have  the  Fair.  Per 
haps,"  with  interest,  "  you  are  a  Chicagoan  ?  " 

Page  was  obliged  to  deny  this  with  a  novel  reluc 
tance  which  amused  him. 

The  girl  gave  the  slightest  toss  of  her  head.  "  I 
suppose  the  Eastern  people  think  we  enjoy  the 
prospect  of  being  jostled,  and  crowded,  and  having 
our  streets  torn  up  and  our  city  extended,  and  all 
our  comfort  taken  away  for  two  years  while  we  live 
in  a  perfect  Pandemonium.  No.  We  do  not  en 
joy  it,  but  we  do  it  as  our  duty  because  we  know 
that  we  can  and  shall  do  it  well.  It  is  not  best  to 
trust  such  an  enterprise  to  an  old,  slow  town." 

Page  regarded  the  speaker  with  curiosity  and 
interest.  She  spoke  softly  but  emphatically  in  a 


70  SWEET  CLOVER. 

contralto  voice,  and  did  not  look  at  him,  but  beyond 
him.  It  occurred  to  her  companion  that  with  her 
superb  vitality  and  unconscious  audacity  she  might 
be  a  truer  type  of  the  triumphant  young  city  than 
that  shown  in  the  cleverly  insulting  picture  which 
had  so  tickled  his  imagination. 

"  I  see  you  take  a  strong  interest  in  the  matter," 
he  remarked. 

"  Yes.  My  sister's  husband  has  been  busy  about 
it  from  the  first ;  so  I  have  heard  much  concerning 
the  subject ;  but  then  all  Chicagoans  are  interested. 
It  is  their  way." 

The  evident  pride  with  which  the  girl  referred  to 
this  "  way  "  caused  Page  to  declare  meekly,  as  a 
means  of  raising  himself  in  her  estimation,  that  he 
had  relatives  in  Chicago. 

"  That  will  be  very  pleasant  for  you  in  '93," 
she  returned,  with  a  slight  smile  which  made  her 
face  bewitching. 

"  I  have  been  spending  the  last  year  with  a 
Chicago  cousin  in  Germany,"  continued  Page. 
"  He  has  taken  a  warm  interest  in  every  phase  of 
the  discussion." 

"  Naturally,"  returned  the  girl ;  then  having 
relieved  her  surcharged  heart  she  apparently 
recollected  that  she  was  prolonging  an  interview 
with  a  strange  man,  and  leaning  back  in  her  seat 
she  took  a  copy  of  "  Life  "  from  her  satchel.  Fine 
streaks  of  sunshine  sifted  across  the  sheet. 

"Won't  you  accept  that  shady  seat?"  asked 
Page. 


ON  THE  RAIL.  71 

"  Thank  you,  no.  I  am  only  going  as  far  as 
K ." 

"  That  is  my  destination,  too.  You  might  as 
well  be  comfortable." 

The  girl  looked  up  again  with  some  interest. 

"  Are  you  going  to  K ?  Then  I  shall  ask  you  to 

be  kind  enough  to  direct  me  to  the  Ocean  House. 
I  am  afraid  that  there  has  been  a  misunderstanding, 
and  that  Mrs.  Page  — =  that  the  friend  whom  I  am 
going  to  visit  does  not  expect  me  this  morning." 

The  young  man  regarded  her  with  a  new  expect 
ancy.  "  I  am  going  to  the  Ocean  House  also,  and, 
by  another  coincidence,  to  see  a  Mrs.  Page.  She 
is  my  sister." 

His  neighbor  returned  his  gaze  at  first  with  sur 
prise,  then  a  demure  spirit  of  mischief  danced  in 
her  eyes.  It  had  a  brief  struggle  with  cautious 
propriety,  but  it  conquered.  Caution  usually  did 
make  a  losing  fight  in  the  case  of  this  young  lady. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  can  be  Gorham,"  she  said 
slowly,  and  Page  flushed  to  his  temples  under  the 
fascination  of  his  own  name. 

"  I  am,"  he  laughed. 

"  I  know  a  lot  about  you,"  declared  the  girl 
quietly,  and  her  companion  thought  the  dip  in  her 
upper  lip  when  she  smiled  the  prettiest  thing  he 
had  ever  seen. 

"  That  is  unfair,"  he  returned,  "  for  I  know 
absolutely  nothing  about  you." 

"  Very  likely.  Your  sister  only  came  to  Pear- 
field  three  weeks  ago." 


72  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"Pearfield?  Have  you  been  at  Pearfield? 
How  strange !  " 

"Oh,  it  is  very  simple.  My  sister's  husband 
was  not  well,  —  he  was  all  tired  out  with  the  Fair 
business,  and  one  thing  and  another,  and  the  doc 
tor  frightened  him  into  thinking  he  must  have 
absolute  rest ;  so  he  bethought  him  of  this  little 
village  and  Aunt  Love.  Of  course  you  know  Aunt 
Love?  She  is  one  of  your  stanchest  admirers. 
I  am  not  at  all  sure  that  when  you  take  your 
hat  off  I  shan't  see  a  little  halo  clinging  to  your 
locks." 

"  Oh,  come  now.     That  is  too  bad." 

"  Well,  we  went  there  the  middle  of  June,  and 
we  have  been  there  ever  since.  Three  weeks  ago, 
as  I  said,  your  sister  came  up  —  or  your  sister-in- 
law,  is  n't  she  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  all  the  sister  I  have,  so  I  claim  her." 

"I  should  think  you  would.  She  is  lovely. 
She  'and  Blitzen  have  been  the  bright  spots  in  my 
summer." 

"  Oh,  of  course,  Blitzen.     I  had  forgotten  him." 

"  He  is  delightful.  So  sympathetic !  Our  tem 
peraments  are  just  alike." 

Page  listened  with  interest.  He  could  imagine 
the  small  dog  and  this  young  woman  in  a  romp. 
He  could  picture  her,  and  he  liked  to,  in  a  light 
cambric  gown,  going  at  evening  with  Blitzen  up 
into  the  pasture  to  get  the  cow. 

"  Aunt  Love  has  given  him  to  me,"  continued 
the  girl  complacently. 


ON  THE  RAIL.  73 

Her  companion  smiled  reminiscently. 

"What  does  Blitzen  say  to  the  transfer?"  he 
asked. 

"  I  sometimes  suspect  he  does  n't  know  it,"  she 
returned  seriously.  "I  mention  it  to  him  every 
day,  though.  Mr.  Van  Tassel  laughs  at  me,  and 
says  that  I  need  n't  expect  to  take  the  dog,  —  that 
Blitzen  thinks  I  'in  a  humbug." 

Page  was  not  listening.  "  Mr.  Van  Tassel  ?  "  he 
repeated  in  blank  surprise. 

"  Yes.  Did  n't  I  say  ?  Excuse  me.  He  is  my 
sister's  husband  —  and  your  uncle.  I  forgot  that. 
The  dearest  man  that  ever  lived." 

Page  felt  staggered,  and  confusedly  afraid  that 
he  should  show  the  shock  he  felt.  His  eyes  fell. 
This  was  one  of  that  obscure  family  who  had 
"  roped  Uncle  Richard  in."  Like  lightning  there 
flashed  across  his  mind  the  consideration  that 
beauty  had  made  his  uncle  weak. 

"  Yes  —  ahem  "  —  he  stammered,  for  he  feared 
it  might  have  been  long  that  he  had  sat  there 
dazed.  "  I  'm  sorry  to  hear  that  my  uncle  is  ail 
ing.  Jack  —  his  son  knows  nothing  of  it." 

"  No ;  it  is  Mr.  Van  Tassel's  wish  that  his  son 
should  not  be  informed  of  his  indisposition."  The 
girl's  reply  sounded  curiously  stilted  in  contrast  to 
her  previous  ease  of  manner.  Page  blamed  him 
self  for  the  new  coldness. 

"Just  like  his  unselfishness,  isn't  it?"  he  re 
turned  cordially.  "  I  can't  help  thinking  how  sur 
prised  Hilda  will  be  to  see  me  appear  with  you. 
She  does  not  know  when  to  expect  me." 


74  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Mrs.  Page  was  indeed  surprised  when  the  train 

stopped  at  R ,  and  she  stood  on  the  platform 

and  beheld  her  brother  and  her  g%uest  leave  the  car 
together.  She  was  a  vivacious  little  woman  with 
a  trim  figure,  and  keen  blue  eyes  that  looked  out 
beneath  her  sailor  hat,  full  of  lively  interest  in 
everything  and  everybody.  She  pounced  upon 
the  pair,  and  kissed  them  both  with  enthusiasm. 

"  How  perfectly  delightful !  "  she  exclaimed. 
"  I  could  n't  help  worrying  a  little  about  you, 
Miss  Bryant."  ("  Oh  yes,  Bryant  was  the  name," 
thought  Page.)  "  I  knew  you  were  not  familiar 
with  Boston,  and  although  I  had  given  you  such 
detailed  directions,  I  should  have  been  frantic  if 
you  had  n't  come  out  of  the  car  just  when  you 
did.  Gorham,  how  did  you  happen  to  find  her? 
Did  you  go  out  to  Pearfield?  How  is  Uncle 
Richard,  Miss  Bryant  ?  There,  Gorham,  don't  let 
that  stage  go  without  us.  Not  the  white  one,  the 
yellow.  Is  there  room  for  three  ?  " 

When  they  were  in  the  stage  that  was  to  take 
them  to  the  hotel,  these  queries  and  many  more 
were  answered  before  the  long  extent  of  surf  came 
in  sight,  vividly  blue  beyond  the  firm  white  shore 
on  which  a  foamy  lacework  melted. 

Mrs.  Page  ensconced  her  guest  in  a  pleasant 
room  near  her  own,  and  then  returned  to  her  own 
quarters  with  an  impatient  hope  that  her  brother 
would  seek  her  there.  She  had  not  long  to  wait, 
and  she  welcomed  him  eagerly. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  my  new  acquisition  ?  " 


ON  THE  RAIL,  75 

she  asked,  as  she  gave  him  a  seat  that  commanded 
the  ocean,  and  took  one  near  by. 

"  I  was  greatly  surprised." 

"  I  thought  you  would  be,"  said  Hilda  triumph 
antly  ;  " but  what  do  you  think  of  her?  Isn't  she 
handsome  ?  " 

"Very,"  answered  Page,  looking  dreamily  out 
upon  the  water. 

"  Have  n't  you  fallen  in  love  with  her,  you 
wooden  man?" 

"  Hardly,  yet.  I  suppose  I  shall,  though,"  he 
added  resignedly. 

Mrs.  Page  laughed  so  gleefully  that  he  smiled. 
"  It  is  all  the  queerest  thing,"  she  said  with  sud 
den  serious  zest.  "  I  was  belated  in  every  sort  of 
way  about  getting  down  here  this  year,  and  when 
I  was  finally  ready  it  suddenly  came  over  me  that 
Uncle  Richard  was  with  Aunt  Love  in  the  char 
acter  of  a  semi-invalid,  and  that  it  would  be  civil 
in  me  to  call  on  him  once,  as  he  had  come  to  see 
me  on  his  way  through  the  city." 

"It  is  odd  that  Jack  has  n't  mentioned  his 
father's  being  at  Pearfield,  or  his  not  being  well. 
To  be  sure,  I  have  n't  seen  Jack  since  last  March, 
still  he  would  naturally  have  mentioned  it  in  the 
few  letters  I  've  had  from  him." 

Mrs.  Page  lifted  her  finger  impressively.  "  Jack 
does  n't  know  one  word  about  his  father's  illness. 
Be  sure  you  don't  mention  it  to  him." 

"  Call  it  fatigue.     It  is  n't  illness,  is  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  Gorham  Page,  he  had  a  stroke  early 
this  spring." 


76  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"No!  Why,  that  is  too  bad.  Surely  it  is 
wrong  to  keep  it  from  Jack,"  said  Page  with  a 
strong  mental  uprising  of  resentment  against  un 
known  scheming  Bryants.  Of  course  that  inno 
cent,  inexperienced  young  creature  of  the  train 
would  have  no  word  in  the  matter. 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,"  returned  his  sister  dubi 
ously.  "  It  was  only  a  warning,  the  doctors  said, 
and  I  suppose  Uncle  Richard  thinks  he  is  all  right 
now  with  care  ;  and  there's  a  wheel  within  a 
wheel  there,  Gorham.  Did  n't  you  notice  to-day," 
lowering  her  voice  dramatically,  "  that  I  did  n't 
say  a  word  about  Jack?  Jack  is  a  sore  subject." 
She  nodded  her  head  several  times  by  way  of 
emphasis. 

"  I  dare  say,"  returned  the  other.  "  The  Bry 
ants  must  have  known  that  he  was  very  much  cut 
up  by  his  father's  marriage." 

"  Oh,  they  did  ;  or  the  girls  did.  The  mother 
never  was  allowed  to  know.  I  became  very  well 
acquainted  with  this  child  Mildred  in  the  few 
days  I  stayed  at  Pearfield,  but  she  told  me  no 
thing.  Aunt  Love  told  me  the  whole  story,  for 
Mrs.  Van  Tassel  had  confided  in  her.  Aunt  Love 
is  perfectly  devoted  to  Uncle  Richard's  wife." 

"Humph!" 

"They  have  been  through  a  great  deal  in  a 
year.  I  suppose  you  heard  through  Jack,  though 
I  knew  nothing  about  it,  that  Mrs.  Van  Tassel's 
little  brother  and  sister  took  scarlet  fever  and 
died  in  the  same  week." 


ON  THE  RAIL.  77 

"  Yes,  I  knew  that.  Jack  felt  it  deeply.  I  am 
sure  he  must  have  written  home  very  kindly  about 
it.  It  occurred  only  about  a  month  after  the 
wedding." 

"Very  likely  he  did.  I  don't  know.  Then 
Mrs.  Bryant  grew  weaker  and  weaker  through  the 
winter.  They  took  her  South,  and  surrounded 
her  with  every  luxury,  but  in  April  she  died." 

"  No.     I  did  n't  know  that." 

"  Yes,  she  died  very  peacefully  and  happily ; 
but  she  had  not  been  gone  a  fortnight  when  Uncle 
Richard  had  that  stroke." 

"  What  a  procession  of  calamities  !  " 

"  I  should  think  so.  Well,  Aunt  Love  says  the 
worst  part  of  it  is,  that  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  seems  to 
connect  all  this  misfortune  with  Jack's  anger  at 
her.  Something  on  the  old  idea  of  a  curse,  I  sup 
pose." 

Page's  lip  curled  slightly  under  his  mustache. 

"  I  saw  very  little  of  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  myself," 
continued  his  voluble  sister.  "  Uncle  Richard's 
head  was  very  easily  tired.  He  had  to  keep  very 
quiet,  and  she  was  with  him  constantly.  You 
never  saw  such  devotion." 

"  No  doubt,"  said  Page  ambiguously.  "  I  can 
easily  believe  that  she  will  not  allow  him  out  of 
her  sight.  It  looks  to  me  as  if  it  were  our  duty 
to  inform  Jack  of  his  father's  condition." 

"  No,  no.  I  saw  enough  of  Uncle  Richard  to 
discover  his  wishes  about  that.  He  does  not  want 
to  have  Jack  hurried.  He  does  not  consider  his 
condition  in  the  least  alarming." 


78  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Page's  face  indicated  his  disapproval.  "  So 
Mrs.  Van  Tassel  is  to  succeed  in  keeping  Jack  at 
a  distance,"  he  remarked. 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  her  doing." 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  said  Page  without  heat. 
"  Uncle  Richard  must  know  the  circumstances." 

"He  may  suspect  something,  of  course,"  replied 
Hilda,  "  but  Aunt  Love  tells  me  they  do  not  avoid 
the  subject  of  Jack  at  all.  Mrs.  Van  Tassel 
speaks  of  him  with  perfect  naturalness,  whenever 
necessity  demands,  and  she  has  never  told  Uncle 
Richard  of  the  angry  parting  that  worried  her  so. 
He  never  asked  her  about  it." 

"  Wise  Uncle  Richard !  He  knew  better." 
Page  shook  his  head.  "  It  is  a  bad  business." 

His  sister  demurred.  "I  do  not  know  that  it 
is  such  a  bad  business  for  Uncle  Richard  to  have 
gained  such  a  devoted  nurse.  He  needs  it  now. 
As  for  Miss  Bryant,  I  pitied  the  girl,  cooped  up 
there  in  that  lonely,  monotonous  village,  and 
begged  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  to  allow  her  to  stay  with 
me  a  week  or  two.  She  consented  very  willingly, 
even  gladly.  I  wanted  to  give  people  a  chance  to 
look  at  her.  I  'm  a  philanthropist.  The  sight  of 
her  will  do  a  weakly  person  as  much  good  as  the 
sea  air  ;  and  she  was  " 

A  knock  at  the  door  interrupted.  Mrs.  Page 
gave  her  brother  a  knowing  little  nod,  and  when 
she  answered  the  call,  it  was  her  guest  who  en 
tered.  The  girl  had  exchanged  her  black  dress 
for  one  all  white. 


ON  THE  RAIL.  79 

"  You  told  me  to  come  as  soon  as  I  was  ready," 
she  said,  looking  from  one  to  the  other. 

"  Yes,  I  was  in  haste  to  have  you  see  my  view. 
Is  n't  it  a  fine  one?" 

Mildred  moved  to  the  window,  followed  by 
Page's  unconscious,  openly  admiring  gaze.  He 
had  risen  at  once  upon  her  entrance  and  stood,  his 
hands  resting  on  a  chair-back,  forgiving  Mrs.  Van 
Tassel's  arts  for  the  moment,  in  entire  approval 
of  her  sister's  appearance. 

Hilda,  to  whom  her  brother-in-law's  potential 
love  affairs  were  a  constant  entertainment,  kept 
his  ingenuous  face  in  view,  even  while  her  tongue 
rattled  on. 

"  For  a  conscientious,  well-intentioned  man," 
she  had  once  said  to  her  husband,  "  Gorham  Page 
can  be  the  most  dangerous  creature.  Any  girl 
receiving  such  a  look  as  his  would  believe  him 
deeply  smitten.  Then  he  will  go  on,  getting  ac 
quainted  with  her  in  his  way,  inquiring  into  her 
thoughts  and  opinions,  even  probing  her  hidden 
feelings,  getting  at  the  real  woman,  as  he  calls  it, 
and  having  exchanged  theories  with  her  for  a 
while,  his  mind  will  go  mooning  off,  perhaps  in 
the  test  of  some  new  thought  she  has  suggested, 
while  the  girl,  gradually  neglected,  is  soon  as  en 
tirely  forgotten  as  last  year's  fashions.  It  amounts 
to  unprincipled  flirting,  and  yet  he  does  n't  suspect 
it  in  the  least.  He  is  too  modest,  really.  A  queer 
paradox." 

Hilda   suddenly  finished   the  description  of   a 


80  SWEET  CLOVEK. 

distant  lighthouse,  and  turning,  walked  straight 
up  to  her  brother,  who  was  still  lost  in  critical 
approval  of  the  noble  lines  and  curves  of  her 
guest's  tall  figure. 

"  But  come,"  she  said,  smiling  with  significant 
sauciness  into  his  face.  "  We  cannot  live  entirely 
on  the  beautiful  things  we  can  take  in  through 
our  eyes.  I  fancy  there  is  some  dinner  down 
stairs  somewhere." 

"  Yes,"  agreed  Page,  stirring.  He  had  finished 
his  soup  before  he  realized  that  there  had  been 
any  personal  intention  in  her  speech. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    TELEGRAM. 

MRS.  PAGE  promised  herself  to  keep  a  sharp 
lookout  in  behalf  of  the  young  girl  of  whom  she 
had  assumed  temporary  charge.  At  the  very  first 
of  those  exclusive  walks  and  sails  which  she  fore 
saw,  she  meant  to  reason  with  her  brother,  and 
indirectly  to  warn  Mildred  of  his  idiosyncrasy. 
Her  guest  seemed  wonderfully  well-poised  and 
self-possessed  for  a  girl  of  her  age.  Doubtless 
she  had  already  become  accustomed  to  admiration ; 
but  Gorham's  attentions  would  be  of  an  unusual 
sort.  Mrs.  Page  meant  to  keep  an  eye  on  him. 

She  was  disappointed,  however.  The  very  day 
following,  he  mentioned  his  intention  of  returning 
to  the  city. 

"  You  must  have  known  that  I  only  came  down 
to  call  on  you,"  he  replied  to  Hilda's  expressions 
of  surprise  and  dismay.  "  After  such  a  pro 
longed  holiday  as  I  have  had,  you  surely  didn't 
suppose  I  was  going  to  idle  away  more  time  here." 

"I  think  it  is  very  shabby  of  you,"  pouted  Mrs. 
Page,  with  no  thought  of  her  own  inconsistency. 
"Miss  Bryant  and  I  need  you  to  entertain  us 
while  Robert  is  away.  Don't  we,  Miss  Bryant  ?  " 

Mildred  assented.     "  It  is  hard  to  be  deprived 


82  SWEET  CLOVER. 

of  both  Blitzen  and  Mr.  Page,"  she  said  feelingly, 
and  her  hostess  wished  she  had  not  appealed  to 
her. 

Page  regarded  his  sister  thoughtfully.  "  Shall 
I  send  you  some  books  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Miss  Bry 
ant  said  last  night  that  she  had  not  brought  any 
books  with  her." 

"  You  need  n't  trouble  yourself,"  returned  Hilda 
quickly.  "  His  first  symptom  of  interest,"  she 
noted  mentally.  "  I  know  you,"  she  added  aloud. 
"  The  lightest  entertainment  we  could  hope  for 
would  be  Buckle's  '  History  of  Civilization.'  No. 
Leave  us  if  you  must ;  but  don't  send  us  any  lit 
erature  ! " 

So  he  departed,  and  Mrs.  Page  was  left  to  sound 
his  praises  instead  of  his  defects,  to  her  friend. 
After  Mildred's  saucy  speech,  she  was  determined 
that  the  girl  should  appreciate  how  far  above  the 
common  run  of  men  this  rara  avis  of  a  brother 
was;  and  she  rang  the  changes  upon  his  high 
principle,  his  conscientiousness,  his  unselfishness, 
until  the  faint  light  of  ironical  amusement  in  her 
guest's  eyes  arrested  her. 

"  I  would  n't  have  you  think  Gorham  a  prig," 
she  added  hastily.  "  He  is  the  furthest  from  it." 

Mildred's  week  at  the  beach  slipped  quickly 
and  pleasantly  away,  and  then  she  was  recalled  to 
Pearfield  by  her  sister,  who  wrote  that  Mr.  Van 
Tassel  felt  so  much  stronger  that  he  wished  to 
return  home  at  once. 

Mrs.    Page  received  one  letter   from   the   girl, 


THE   TELEGRAM.  83 

after  they  reached  Chicago,  descriptive  of  the 
journey,  and  the  parting  from  Pearfield.  Blitzen, 
she  said,  they  were  obliged  to  leave  behind,  as  on 
the  day  of  departure  he  was  nowhere  to  be  found. 
Humiliating  as  it  was  to  confess  it,  they  all 
believed  he  had  heard  the  plans  for  his  removal, 
and  had  gone  into  hiding. 

September  passed  and  October  was  nearly  gone, 
when  one  morning  as  he  opened  his  mail  in  his 
office,  Gorham  Page  found  a  letter  from  his  cousin 
Jack. 

It  began  by  responding  to  some  theories  and 
warnings,  which  Page  had  recently  written  him, 
relative  to  the  unwholesomeness  of  beer- drinking. 

DEAR  GORHAM,  -  -  Your  interesting  and  in 
structive  letter  just  received.  It  has  been  an  unus 
ual  length  of  time  on  the  road,  and  it  was  an  ill 
fate  that  delayed  your  temperance  lecture,  and 
deprived  me  of  that  aid  to  sobriety  any  longer 
than  was  necessary,  in  view  of  the  rapidity  with 
which  I  am  traveling  the  downward  road.  It 
arrived,  however,  at  a  critical  period.  A  friend  in 
the  pension,  whose  besotted  fancy  could  not  rise 
from  the  miry  slough  in  which  intemperance  has 
sunk  her,  has  just  made  me  a  philopena  present. 
Instead  of  bestowing  upon  me  some  airy  and 
diverting  German  philosophy,  or  fascinating 
English  tract,  or  an  elevating  necktie,  —  instead 
of  finding  something  which,  in  the  guise  of  a 
trifling  gift,  should  have  brought  to  a  debauched 


84  SWEET   CLOVER. 

young  man  blessed  suggestions  of  a  reformed  life 
and  renewed  respectability,  she  presented  me  a 
beer  mug  with  a  painting  of  Lohengrin,  Swan  and 
Co.  on  the  outside,  and  a  line  or  two  of  German 
words  around  the  rim,  having  some  reference  to 
Parsifal  and  the  Holy  Grail ! 

That  of  course  drives  the  last  nail  into  my 
coffin !  That  puts  me  beyond  the  pale  of  - 
water !  In  vain  do  you  exclaim,  "  Be  a  man ! 
Have  some  backbone  about  you !  Be  content  to 
look  at  your  new  beer  mug,  without  making  other 
use  of  it.  Keep  it  as  bric-a-brac,  dry,  and  always 
perpendicular  !  Let  its  rigid  uprightness  be  also 
that  of  your  moral  character.  Resist  the  dreadful 
power  of  this  unrighteous  alliance  of  a  refined 
taste  for  aesthetic  pottery  with  a  depraved  taste 
for  strong  drink  !  " 

Alas,  I  cannot.  How  appalling  and  yet  how 
interesting  it  is  to  observe  how  Fate  inclines  to 
kick  a  fellow  when  he  's  down.  Everything  con 
spires  against  the  reform  of  one  who  has  fallen. 

As  to  my  own  case,  even  if  I  could  overcome 
my  craving  for  liquor,  I  should  still  be  obliged  to 
go  right  on  drinking  my  pint  of  beer  at  dinner 
every  day,  for  it  seems  that  the  German  words 
around  the  rim  of  my  mug  are  not  "  fast  colors  ;  " 
they  come  off  gradually  as  I  drink ;  and  after 
long-drawn-out  attempts  by  the  other  process,  I 
conclude  that  this  is  the  only  way  in  which  I  can 
ever  get  any  German  into  me,  so  I  must  go  on  to 
the  bitter  end.  Bitte  sehr  ! 


THE   TELEGRAM.  85 

I  have  decided  to  come  home  before  the  New 
Year.  I  dread  it,  as  you  know,  but  the  plunge 
into  the  new  family  circle  must  be  taken  some 
time,  and  I  want  to  see  my  father.  I  am  sure  he 
wants  to  see  me,  too,  though  he  does  n't  say  much 
about  it.  In  a  recent  letter,  he  admitted  that  he 
had  not  been  very  well  during  the  summer.  Bless 
him!  I  suppose  her  griefs  have  shaken  him  very 
much.  Of  course  I  'm  sorry  for  her,  but  I  can't 
be  resigned  to  father's  having  had  to  shoulder  the 
Bryants'  affairs.  I  tell  you  I  am  glad  to  know  he 
is  himself  again.  His  letter  made  me  feel  an 
intolerable  distance  away.  Yes,  I  shall  see  him 
by  the  New  Year,  whatever  happens. 

Page  was  folding  this  letter  into  its  envelope, 
when  a  telegraph  boy  entered  the  office. 

"  Want  an  answer  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

So  while  his  clerk  signed,  the  lawyer  tore  open 
the  message.  He  started  as  he  read  it,  and  a  slow 
color  rose  over  his  face. 

Taking  a  blank  he  scribbled  an  address,  then 
added : — 

Will  be  with  you  to-morrow  evening. 

GORHAM  PAGE. 

Making  hasty  preparations  at  the  office  and  at 
home,  he  barely  succeeded  in  catching  the  lim 
ited  train  for  Chicago.  When  he  was  seated  in 


86  SWEET  CLOVER. 

his  section,  he  drew  forth  from  his  pocket  the  tele 
gram  that  had  startled  him,  and  read  it  again. 

Mr.  Van  Tassel  died  suddenly  at  nine  last 
night.  Can  you  come  to  us  ? 

MILDRED  BRYANT. 

"  Poor  Jack !  "  thought  Page ;  and  the  wheels 
seemed  to  repeat  the  words  like  a  refrain.  He 
disliked  his  own  task,  but  it  did  not  seem  strange 
to  him  that  he  had  been  summoned.  Mr.  Van 
Tassel  had  no  near  relatives  in  Chicago.  Page 
had  had  charge  of  his  legal  affairs  in  Boston. 
Doubtless  his  address  had  been  among  the  dead 
man's  papers,  and  Mrs.  Van  Tassel's  advisers  had 
suggested  that  he  be  sent  for. 

Page  shrank  repugnantly  from  encountering 
this  woman,  whom  disaster  followed  so  relent 
lessly.  He  tried  not  to  think  of  her.  Perhaps  it 
would  not  be  necessary  that  they  should  meet  at 
all ;  yet  try  as  he  might,  he  could  not  prevent  his 
imagination  from  picturing  the  siren,  who  had 
succeeded  in  capturing  the  honest,  cordial,  fine- 
natured  man,  whose  death  it  was  difficult  to  real 
ize.  How  would  Jack  bear  it?  How  would  his 
highly  strung  affectionate  nature  stand  the  strain  ? 
This  woman  who  had  brazenly  told  him  that  she 
did  not  love  his  father  had  been  the  one  to  stand 
near  the  latter's  deathbed ;  while  the  loving  heart 
of  the  son  had  been  kept  at  a  distance  by  her 
machinations. 


THE   TELEGRAM.  87 

For  Page  was  now  fully  convinced  that  Jack 
had  been  deliberately  deceived  as  to  his  father's 
condition,  and  he  blamed  himself  hotly  for  obey 
ing  his  sister  and  refraining  from  intermeddling. 

He  said  to  himself  that  he  ought  to  have  talked 

with   Miss  Bryant  about   the   matter  at   R . 

The  thought  of  Mildred  gave  him  no  pleasure. 
She  was  sister  to  the  woman  who  had  robbed 
Jack,  and  broken  his  heart.  He  felt  a  sudden 
conviction  of  Mrs.  Van  Tassel's  appearance.  She 
was  an  Amazon ;  tall,  commanding,  bold-faced, 
loud-voiced,  with  a  coarser  repetition  of  her 
sister's  beauty ;  and  involuntarily  he  shuddered 
with  anticipatory  disgust,  and  wished  the  next  few 
days  well  over. 

But  this  was  being  extraordinarily  imaginative 
for   Page,   and   he   realized   it   all   at   once,   and 
opened  the  paper  which  he  had  bought,  with  the 
newsboy   shuffling   along   beside   him   as   he  has 
tened    through   the   depot   in    Boston.     But    his 
thoughts  would  not  concentrate  upon  the  printed 
page  ;  rather  they  flew  to  Jack's  brilliant  face,  — 
the  face  which  always  said  that  life  was  good,  — 
and  saw  it  suddenly  stamped  with  white  despair, 
alone  in  a  strange  land. 

The  next  day,  arrived  in  Chicago,  Page  left  the 
train  at  Hyde  Park  and  went  to  a  hotel.  Half  an 
hour  afterward,  he  emerged  and  walked  toward 
the  lake.  It  was  a  dreary  day,  such  as  seldom 
comes  in  Chicago's  October.  The  lake  was  gray 
from  recent  rain,  and  an  east  wind  was  whipping 


88  SWEET   CLOVER. 

dead  leaves  from  the  elms,  across  the  green  lawn 
around  the  Van  Tassel  house. 

Page  looked  at  the  drawn  curtains,  walked  up 
the  steps  to  the  crape-hung  door,  and  an  unex 
pected  lump  rose  in  his  throat,  for  he  thought  of 
Jack.  In  that  moment,  there  came  to  him  a  new 
loyal  satisfaction  in  the  fact  that  he  had  come ; 
that  some  one  beside  aliens  would  stand  near 
Uncle  Richard.  It  was  with  a  strange  mixture  of 
grief  and  resentment  that  he  met  the  servant,  and 
asked  for  Miss  Bryant. 

He  looked  around  the  well-remembered  parlor, 
where  the  maid  left  him,  and  noted  that  it  was 
newly  and  fashionably  furnished;  but  scarcely 
five  minutes  had  passed  before  Mildred  entered 
the  room,  and  walked  straight  up  to  him  with  out 
stretched  hand. 

He  returned  the  greeting  with  cold  formality, 
and  even  in  the  shaded  room  he  could  see  that 
the  girl's  eyes  were  swelled  from  weeping. 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  could  come,"  she  said  trem 
ulously.  "  Was  it  very  inconvenient  ?  We 
thought  you  would  probably  wish  to  attend  the 
funeral  any  way.  Mr.  Van  Tassel  had  so  few  " 
she  could  go  no  further,  but  broke  down  and  wept 
into  her  handkerchief. 

"  Crocodile  tears !  "  thought  Page.  "It  is 
more  than  likely  that  they  have  everything 
between  them.  —  Certainly,  I  should  have  wished 
to  come,"  he  said  aloud. 

"  Then  —  then,"    began    Mildred,   making   an 


THE   TELEGRAM.  89 

effort,  "  my  sister  wanted  jour  advice  —  she 
thought  you  would  know  best  —  Mr.  Van  Tassel 
trusted  you  —  Forgive  me,  but  we  have  had  such  a 
shock  "  -  she  tried  vainly  to  go  on,  once,  twice, 
then  with  a  gesture  turned  and  left  the  room. 

The  visitor  moved  to  a  window,  and  looked  out 
through  a  crack  of  the  blind. 

"  I  'm  sorry  they  think  it  necessary  to  go 
through  this  sort  of  thing,"  he  thought  cynically. 
"  Now  I  suppose  she  will  send  the  other  one ; 
and  if  that  was  a  preface !  "  A  sound  behind  him 
caused  him  to  set  his  teeth,  and  turn  about  with 
the  coldest,  blankest  expression  he  could  assume. 
His  eyes  had  grown  accustomed  to  the  dim  light 
now,  and  he  saw  a  straight  slight  girl  in  black, 
standing  and  regarding  him  with  the  saddest, 
loveliest  countenance  he  had  ever  looked  upon. 
Her  large  eyes  had  shed  all  their  tears,  and  her 
delicate  lips  had  never  smiled.  Her  rippled 
brown  hair  framed  a  colorless  face,  and  her  effect 
was  less  pathetic  than  awe-inspiring  in  its  pure 
unconscious  dignity. 

"  This  is  Mr.  Page  ?  "  she  said,  advancing  and 
offering  a  hand  which  the  young  man  took  mechan 
ically.  "  It  was  kind  of  you  to  come  promptly.  I 
felt  that  I  must  see  you  and  you  only,  about  — 
about  Mr.  Van  Tassel's  son." 

She  spoke  in  an  even,  emotionless  voice,  but 
Page  noted  a  faint  trembling  of  her  lips  at  the 
mention  of  Jack. 

"  You  are  the  nearest  relative,  and  you  can  best 
decide  what  should  be  done." 


90  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Page  was  in  all  the  confusion  incident  upon  in 
tense  revulsion  of  feeling.  He  felt  that  he  had  not 
yet  full  command  of  his  ideas ;  but  the  spontaneous 
desire  to  help  this  exquisite  young  creature,  to  let 
neither  himself  nor  any  one  else  wound  her  further, 
constituted  his  ruling  passion  for  the  moment. 

"  You  have  sent  no  word  to  Jack  as  yet  ?  " 

"  No.  As  soon  as  your  telegram  came  I  decided 
to  wait  for  you." 

She  had  been  waiting  for  him  and  he  had  filled 
the  moments  of  his  coming  with  brutal  contempt 
and  criticism  of  her. 

The  tearless  sadness  of  her  voice  went  on  :  "It 
is  better  for  the  word  to  go  from  you  than  from 
me."  Her  eyelids  fell.  "  It  will  hurt  Jack  less. 
I  would  "  —  she  lifted  her  eyes  again  and  gave 
Page  a  look  that  his  heart  received  as  a  pang.  "  I 
would  gladly  give  my  life  if  it  could  procure  Jack 
one  hour  with  his  father,  alive." 

"  I  believe  it  sincerely,"  he  answered. 

The  respect  and  sympathy  of  Page's  tone  seemed 
to  impel  her  to  further  explanation.  "  It  was  ter 
ribly  sudden  and  unexpected,"  she  said.  "  No 
one  —  the  doctor  himself  did  not  believe  in  the 
possibility  of  such  a  catastrophe.  He  was  feeling 
so  well  for  him.  He  was  in  the  act  of  speaking  of 
it  when  he  sank  back.  His  last  word  was  '  happy.' ' 

She  stood  a  moment,  her  eyelids  dropped,  in 
statuesque  silence.  Page  watched  her  steady  her 
tottering  self-control. 

"  I  had  thought,"  she  went  on  finally,  "  of  a  sue- 


THE   TELEGRAM.  91 

cession  of  cablegrams.  Could  it  be  broken  to  your 
cousin  a  little  more  gently,  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  will  be  best." 

"  And  may  I  ask  you  to  send  them,  without 
regard  to  cost  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  What  else  can  I  do  ?  I  beg  you 
to  let  me  be  useful  to  you  in  all  ways  that  I  can  for 
Uncle  Richard's  sake." 

"  Thank  you.  I  will  give  you  the  address  of  a 
neighbor,  an  old  and  dear  friend  of  Mr.  Van  Tas 
sel,  who  has  been  most  kind.  Perhaps  he  would 
be  glad  to  consult  with  you." 

Page  soon  took  his  leave,  and  until  the  day  after 
the  funeral  did  not  again  have  opportunity  to  speak 
with  the  young  widow.  Then  she  sent  for  him 
and  he  went  upstairs  to  the  gay  and  delicate  bou 
doir  which  Richard  Van  Tassel  had  furnished  for 
his  young  wife,  whose  black  gown  to-day  made  the 
one  dark  spot  amid  its  luxury. 

She  looked  precisely  the  same  as  on  the  occasion 
of  their  first  meeting  except  that  now,  by  daylight, 
Page  could  see  more  distinctly  her  patient,  marble 
beauty. 

"  I  could  not  let  you  go  East  without  thanking 
you,"  she  said,  greeting  him  gravely.  "  You  have 
been  very  kind,  and  a  great  help  to  us." 

The  young  man  bowed,  and  murmured  a  polite 
platitude.  He  could  think  of  nothing  to  say  to  her. 

"  Do  you  —  I  suppose  you  do  expect  your  cousin 
to  return  home  immediately." 

"  Yes.     I  think  he  will  come." 


92  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  One  thing  which  I  wanted  to  say  to  you  this 
morning  is  that  my  sister  and  I  are  going  immedi 
ately  to  California  to  spend  the  winter.  You  will 
meet  your  cousin,  very  likely,  upon  his  arrival  ?  " 

Page  bowed. 

"  Will  you  kindly  tell  him  that  the  house  here 
is  ready  for  him,  that  we  shall  not  return  to  it  " 
Mrs.  Van  Tassel's  even,  formal  utterance  broke, 
and  she  suddenly  averted  her  head.  "  Poor 
Jack !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  It  will  make  him  suffer 
afresh  to  come  back  here,  and  who  can  comfort 
him  ?  It  is  the  best  I  can  do,  though,"  she  added 
suddenly,  turning  again  toward  Page.  "  You 
know  there  is  not  one  person  save  Mildred  to 
whom  I  can  speak  of  all  this,  and  it  is  wrong  to 
dwell  upon  sad  and  humiliating  subjects  with  a 
bright  young  girl." 

She  looked  scarcely  older  than  Mildred  herself, 
Page  thought,  but  he  eagerly  offered  himself  as  a 
confidant. 

"  I  am  glad  Jack  has  you,"  she  continued.  "  I 
wish,  oh,  so  deeply,  that  I  might  do  or  say  anything 
to  alleviate  his  sorrow ;  but  you  see,"  appealingly, 
"  the  only  thing  I  can  do  is  to  keep  away.  Jack 
and  I  were  good  friends  once,  but  that  is  all  over." 

As  Page  a  little  later  came  downstairs  to  leave 
the  house,  Mildred  Bryant  rose  from  a  seat  near 
the  fireplace  in  the  hall.  Her  face  looked  a  little 
paler  than  was  its  wont,  and  faint  shadows  about 
her  eyes  told  of  grief  ;  but  she  was  once  more  the 
self-possessed  girl  he  had  first  seen  on  the  train. 


THE  TELEGRAM.  93 

"  You  are  returning  at  once  to  Boston  ?  "  she 
asked. 

"  Yes.     I  leave  to-night." 

"I  saw  by  your  face  as  you  came  downstairs 
that  you  think  my  sister  looks  badly ;  but  of  course 
you  do.  Well,  I  believe  there  is  nothing  more, 
there  are  no  more  shocks  that  she  can  suffer  — 
unless  she  should  lose  me,  and  I  fancy  I  am  long 
for  this  world ;  "  a  shade  of  the  girl's  pretty  ironi 
cal  smile  flitted  over  her  lips ;  "  but  I  could  lose 
her,"  the  hazel  eyes  suddenly  became  bright  with 
unshed  tears ;  "  and,"  with  vehemence,  "  I  will 
not.  I  am  going,  we  are  going  away  to  search  for 
Clover's  girlhood.  It  must  come  back.  She  has 
been  cheated  out  of  it  too  soon." 

"  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  told  me  that  you  intend  going 
West.  Southern  California  will  surely  do  her 
good." 

"  I  hope  so.  I  am  glad  you  have  been  here 
these  last  days.  It  has  been  a  comfort  to  my 
sister." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so  ?  "  eagerly. 

"  Without  doubt.  I  observed  that  she  seemed 
less  anxious  about  —  everything,  from  the  moment 
of  your  coming." 

"  The  matter  of  telling  Jack  had  preyed  upon 
her,"  said  Page  sympathetically. 

He  saw  an  indefinable  change  come  over  Mil 
dred's  face.  "  I  suppose  Jack  must  bear  his  trou 
bles  like  the  rest  of  the  world,"  she  answered  with 
a  tinge  of  hardness.  "  We  thank  you  very  much 


94  SWEET  CLOVER. 

for  everything,  Mr.  Page,"  she  added,  holding  out 
her  hand,  and  the  other  clasped  it  warmly. 

"  I  would  not  have  failed  to  be  here  for  any  con 
sideration,  Miss  Bryant.  I  hope,"  looking  into  the 
girl's  eyes  earnestly, "  that  the  time  may  not  be  far 
distant  when  I  shall  meet  you  and  Mrs.  Van  Tas 
sel  again." 

"  Thank  you,"  returned  Mildred  courteously, 
and  the  young  man  left  the  house  with  a  distinct 
sensation  of  disappointment  because  she  had  not 
echoed  his  wish.  He  could  not  avoid  the  suspi 
cion  that  these  young  women  would  now  expect 
and  wish  to  walk  in  a  separate  way  from  that  of 
all  connections  of  his  dear  lost  uncle.  He  himself 
would  henceforth  be  classed  with  Jack,  and,  strange 
new  disloyalty,  the  prospect  was  unsatisfactory. 

He  turned  his  steps  toward  the  office  where  he 
was  going  to  await  a  cablegram,  and  on  his  way 
undertook  to  analyze  his  own  unreasonable  feelings. 
"  They  are  nothing  to  me,  those  girls,"  he  thought, 
while  memory  presented  in  fresh  hues  that  averted 
head  leaning  upon  a  white  hand  in  Clover's  spasm 
of  impotent  pity  for  Jack,  and  all  of  a  sudden,  in 
stead  of  theorizing,  Page  found  himself  dwelling 
with  eager  pride,  as  if  it  were  the  climax  of  achieve 
ment  in  his  life,  on  the  fact  that  he  had  been  of 
assistance,  of  use,  of  comfort,  to  that  fair,  pale 
creature,  set  in  a  sacred  niche  apart  from  all  the 
other  women  in  the  world. 

He  recalled  himself  with  cold  surprise  from  this 
Scylla,  only  to  fall  into  the  Charybdis  of  a  reverie 


THE   TELEGRAM.  95 

in  which  Miss  Bryant's  face  and  bearing  were 
regal,  as  she  declared  that  Jack  must  bear  his 
trials  like  the  rest  of  the  world. 

Page  threw  back  his  head  in  self -impatience. 
"  She  is  a  fine,  bright  girl,  and  I  should  like  to 
know  her  better,"  he  thought ;  "  but  there  is  this 
comfort  —  in  a  couple  of  months  I  shall  have  for 
gotten  all  about  her.  I  could  n't  remember  her  if 
I  tried." 

Before  evening  he  received  the  expected  message 
from  his  cousin.  Jack  sailed  from  Bremen  at  once. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A   CHRISTMAS   VISITOR. 

THE  national  dispute  finished  regarding  the  loca 
tion  of  the  World's  Fair,  a  local  contest  at  once 
arose  among  Chicago's  citizens  as  to  which  portion 
of  the  city  was  best  fitted  for  the  display.  The 
debate  was  long  drawn  out.  Several  sites  were  en 
ergetically  lauded  by  their  several  partisans,  and 
their  respective  advantages  were  hotly  maintained 
and  as  hotly  contradicted.  It  was  very  interesting 
to  Chicagoans,  but  to  the  public  outside  it  was  a 
matter  of  indifference  whether  the  North  Side,  the 
West  Side,  or  the  South  Side,  should  win  the  day. 

Meanwhile  a  good  many  people  —  like  Miss 
Berry,  for  instance  —  forgot  that  such  a  thing  as 
preparation  for  a  World's  Fair  was  going  on. 
She  thought  it  vastly  more  interesting  that  Jack 
Van  Tassel  had  returned  from  Europe,  and  that  in 
his  desolation  instead  of  going  to  his  father's  de 
serted  house  he  had  begun  to  read  law  in  his  cousin's 
office. 

Miss  Lovina's  association  with  Mrs.  Van  Tassel 
during  the  summer  had  brought  much  food  for 
thought  into  her  quiet  life ;  thought  that  haunted 
her  after  the  young  wife  had  become  a  widow,  and 
after  Jack  had  come  home ;  his  sore  heart  full  of 


A   CHRISTMAS   VISITOR.  97 

cold  anger,  so  Miss  Berry  surmised,  against  a  wo 
man  whom  she  devoutly  declared  to  be  "  one  of  the 
sweetest  of  God's  creatures." 

It  was  an  exciting  time  to  her  when  one  Novem 
ber  day  she  received  the  letter  from  Gorliam  Page 
giving  her  hope  that  she  need  not  always  be  passive 
concerning  a  matter  which,  in  her  uneventful'  life, 
she  had  greatly  at  heart.  She  read :  — 

DEAR  AUNT  LOVE,  —  Jack  Van  Tassel  has 
come  back  and  is  with  me  for  the  present.  Of 
course  he  is  very  much  shaken ;  and  when  I 
met  him  at  the  dock  I  felt  a  good  deal  dis 
turbed  about  him;  but  you  know  his  excitable, 
gay  disposition.  He  will  doubtless  soon  recover 
from  the  shock,  and  react  from  his  present  low 
state.  Naturally  he  wants  to  blame  somebody  for 
his  suffering,  and  I  fear  he  is  inclined  to  accuse 
Mrs.  Van  Tassel  of  inconsiderateness  in  not  send 
ing  for  him  last  summer.  I  never  met  her  except 
ing  on  the  occasion  of  the  funeral,  so  my  defense 
has  little  weight ;  but  I  recall  that  my  sister  said 
you  esteemed  her  highly,  and  it  occurred  to  me  to 
ask  you  to  do  what  you  can  toward  exonerating  her 
when  you  see  Jack,  which  I  dare  say  may  be  soon, 
as  he  has  spoken  of  visiting  you  in  order  to  learn 
something  of  the  last  weeks  of  his  father's  life. 
Use  your  own  discretion  about  this.  Jack  will  stay 
with  me  for  a  time,  and  read  law  in  my  office  for 
the  sake  of  occupation.  His  father's  affairs  were 
left  in  perfect  shape.  His  will  divided  the  fortune 


98  SWEET  CLOVER. 

into  three  parts :  one  third  is  left  to  charities  and 
certain  relatives ;  one  third  goes  to  Jack,  and  the 
other  to  Mrs.  Van  Tassel,  with  the  exception  of  an 
amount  sufficient  to  make  her  sister  independent, 
which  he  has  left  to  Miss  Bryant. 

Please  say  nothing  of  this  letter,  and  believe  me, 
with- best  wishes  always, 

Cordially  yours,  GORHAM  PAGE. 

These  lines  had  not  been  penned  without  some 
uncomfortable  recollections  on  the  part  of  the 
writer  of  a  day  when  he  had  himself  received  the 
announcement  of  Aunt  Love's  attachment  to  her 
young  guest  in  a  spirit  of  impatient  skepticism. 
Now  that  he  discovered  the  strength  of  his  desire 
that  Jack  should  be  more  yielding  and  credulous, 
the  memory  of  his  own  hardness  was  especially  ex 
asperating. 

Miss  Berry  waited  for  her  expected  visitor  with 
much  interest,  and  each  day  altered  a  little  the 
form  of  the  statement  she  intended  to  make  him 
when  he  came.  She  had  opportunity  to  make  a 
variety  of  changes  in  her  programme,  for  weeks 
went  by  without  a  sign  from  him,  and  finally  Miss 
Lovina's  faith  in  his  coming  wavered. 

Christmas  day  dawned  in  ideal  fashion  at  Pear- 
field  that  year.  The  sun  fell  on  swelling  drifts  of 
virgin  snow.  The  little  town  sparkled  like  the  vil 
lage  in  a  Christmas  card,  and  just  as  the  inevitable 
church  spire  ornaments  that  souvenir,  so  the  Con- 
gregationalist  meeting-house  stood  in  a  field  of  glis- 


A   CHRISTMAS    VISITOR.  99 

tening  white,  as  Miss  Berry  trudged  up  the  shov 
eled  path  to  attend  a  service  of  song  planned  by 
the  Sunday-school  as  a  fitting  festivity  for  the 
morning.  There  was  a  good  attendance,  and  Miss 
Lovina  gave  her  neighbors,  old  and  young,  cheerful 
greeting  as  she  regarded  complacently  the  holly 
wreaths  which  she  had  yesterday  helped  to  place  in 
the  church  windows. 

When  the  exercises  were  over  she  moved  slowly 
down  the  aisle  by  the  side  of  Miss  Getchell  with 
whom  she  had  promised  weeks  ago  to  eat  her  Christ 
mas  dinner.  If  there  was  something  of  the  martyr 
concealed  under  Lovina's  benevolent  countenance  as 
Miss  Ann  clutched  her  arm,  the  latter  would  not  be 
allowed  to  suspect  it,  and  together  they  emerged 
from  the  wide-open  door ;  but  once  on  the  porch 
Miss  Berry,  with  an  exclamation  of  surprise,  shook 
herself  free,  and  Miss  Getchell's  astonished  eyes  be 
held  her  friend  hasten  down  the  steps  towards  some 
one  who  ascended  to  meet  her. 

"  It  was  a  reg'lar  young  prince  of  a  feller  with 
grand  eyes,"  Ann  said  afterward,  dramatizing  the 
occurrence  to  her  old  homekeeping  mother,  "  and  he 
took  off  his  hat  as  he  come  up  to  Loviny  as  though 
she  was  somebody  great."  Miss  Getchell's  curious 
ears  could  not  grasp  Jack's  low-spoken  question :  — 

"  Are  you  going  out  to  dinner  anywhere,  Aunt 
Love?" 

Miss  Lovina's  conscience  would  have  done  credit 
to  any  Puritan  of  them  all,  but  Jack  had  said 
"  are  "  instead  of  "  were,"  and  she  considered  that 
in  a  flash  before  responding  heartily : 


100  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  Indeed  I  am  not,  Mr.  Jack.  You  're  just 
comiri'  home  with  me  and  I  'm  delighted.  Wait 
one  second  till  I  speak  to  one  o'  my  neighbors." 

Jack  suspected  her  as  she  turned  back  to  Miss 
Getchell,  but  her  evident  pleasure  in  his  arrival 
decided  him  not  to  press  the  question.  He  turned 
his  back  while  she  hurriedly  and  emphatically  ac 
costed  her  friend. 

"  I  'm  sorry  it  happens  so,  Ann,  but " 

"  Oh  now,  don't  say  you  won't  come,  Loviny. 
Fetch  the  young  man  along  and  welcome." 

"  Hush,  don't  say  a  word.  It  is  Mr.  Van  Tas 
sel's  son.  You  remember.  I  '11  make  it  up  to  you 
sometime, —  I  mean  you  '11  make  it  up  to  me.  You 
see  it  can't  be  helped.  Now  don't  coax  me,  that 's 
a  good  girl;  I  can't  possibly  come,  and  don't  be 
mad  with  me,  Ann,  you  see  just  how  it  is,"  and 
Miss  Getchell  allowed  herself  to  be  twitched  into 
dumbness  by  Lovina's  anxious  grasp  upon  her  arm, 
and  departed  on  her  lonely  way  in  a  measure  con 
soled  by  the  consideration  of  two  luscious  mince 
pies  which  Miss  Berry  had  sent  her  as  a  gift 
the  day  before. 

"  I  '11  bet  a  cookie  she  wishes  she  had  'em  back 
now,"  she  reflected  as  she  looked  after  the  erect, 
tall  form  moving  away  beside  Miss  Berry's  stout 
figure.  "  I  'm  glad  't  ain't  me  caught  by  a  city  fel 
ler  like  that  on  Christmas  day  without  any  decent 
dinner  to  give  him." 

But  Miss  Getchell  and  Miss  Berry  were  two 
very  different  people.  The  latter,  as  she  walked 


A   CHRISTMAS    VISITOR.  101 

along  trying  with  some  preoccupation  to  talk  to 
her  guest,  was  filled  with  felicitation  that  Jack  had 
chosen  for  his  visit  the  day  when  each  heart  is 
most  inclined  to  gentleness,  and  in  the  same  breath 
she  rejoiced  that  there  were  two  roast  chickens  in 
the  larder  at  home  prepared  in  a  moment  of  dubi 
ousness  regarding  Ann  Getchell's  cooking.  "  If  I 
don't  relish  my  dinner,  I  '11  have  a  good  supper," 
Miss  Lovina  had  thought  when  she  roasted  them, 
and  now  the  most  devout  thanksgiving  of  the 
morning  arose  from  her  heart  in  consequence. 

"  This  is  my  first  glimpse  of  Pearfield  in  winter," 
said  Jack,  surveying  the  blue-white  shadows  on  the 
unspotted  fields.  "  I  dreaded  Christmas  this  year, 
Aunt  Love.  It  occurred  to  me  yesterday  that 
I  would  come  to  see  you.  It  is  as  I  expected. 
' Peace  on  earth '  doesn't  seem  such  a  satire  here." 

"  You  could  n't  please  me  better,"  replied  Miss 
Berry.  "I.'ve  been  some  expectin'  you,  for  Mr. 
Gorham  told  me  you  laid  out  to  be  in  Boston  a 
while." 

"  Yes.  I  have  thought  a  great  deal  about  Pear- 
field  lately."  There  was  a  brief  silence  as  the  two 
moved  on  between  snowy  bulwarks  thrown  up  by 
the  village  ox-plow  that  morning.  "  Do  you  never 
become  lonely  here,  Aunt  Love  ?  "  asked  her  visi 
tor  at  last. 

"  No,  I  don't  know  as  I  do.  Pearfield  's  a  nice 
safe  stiddy  place  and  I  'm  as  busy  as  a  bee  all  the 
time.  Once  in  a .  while  there  's  a  tramp,  but  now 
Blitzen  attends  to  them  in  short  order.  We  all 


102  SWEET  CLOVER. 

have  our  gifts,"  continued  Aunt  Love,  desiring 
for  the  present  to  keep  the  conversation  impersonal, 
"  and  seems  if  Blitzen's  was  appearin'  to  go  mad 
whenever  he  wants  to." 

"  Rather  a  questionable  accomplishment,  I  should 
suppose." 

"  It  is  convenient  sometimes,  though,  there  ain't 
any  denyin'  it.  Blitzen  does  hate  a  tramp.  I  be. 
lieve  if  he  was  off  in  the  woods  a  mile  he  'd  smell 
one,  if  he  was  comin'  towards  the  house ;  and  no 
sooner  does  one  o'  the  shif'less  critters  knock  on 
the  door  and  ask  for  a  meal  o'  victuals,  than  Blitz- 
en  's  there.  Even  if  I  have  n't  seen  him  for  an 
hour  and  have  n't  the  least  idea  where  he  is,  he  '11 
be  there  soon  's  the  tramp  is,  and  barkin'  so  the 
feller  can't  hardly  make  himself  heard.  Blitz- 
en's  tramp-bark  is  queer,"  continued  Aunt  Love 
thoughtfully.  "  It 's  mysterious  to  me  where  he 
gets  his  breath.  It  ain't  just  one  bark  after  an 
other,  but  he  runs  'em  all  together  without  any  let 
up,  and  so  loud  and  long,  it 's  curious  to  me  he 
don't  just  choke  to  death  and  done  with  it." 

"  Rather  discomposing  to  the  tramp,  I  imagine." 

"  Well,  't  is,"  admitted  Miss  Berry,  one  corner 
of  her  mouth  smiling.  "Some  stand  it  longer 'n 
others ;  but  when  one  o'  the  critters  sticks  to  it  till 
I  'm  wore  out  with  him,  I  never  have  to  do  but  just 
one  thing.  I  just  look  at  Blitzen,  —  he  's  always 
jumpin'  and  whirlin'  around  enough  to  make  a 
clock  dizzy,  —  and  I  say,  '  What 's  the  matter  with 
the  do£ !  '  Then  I  close  the  door  a  little  and  look 


A   CHRISTMAS    VISITOR.  103 

through  it  at  the  tramp  and  holler,  '  You  '11  have 
to  excuse  me,  but  that  dog  acts  so  queer  I '  —  then, 
slam,  I  shut  the  door.  It  never  fails  to  work. 
Takes  away  a  tramp's  appetite  every  time." 

"  I  should  suppose  Blitzen  might  feel  the  weight 
of  a  boot  under  those  circumstances." 

"  Bless  your  heart,  Mr.  Jack,  don't  you  believe 
it !  A  man  would  have  to  be  built  like  one  o'  these 
centerpedes  to  have  any  luck  tryin'  to  kick  Blitzen 
when  he  's  011  the  rampage.  No  sir,  a  tramp  don't 
like  the  idea  of  a  mad  dog,  and  he  needs  all  the 
legs  he  's  got  to  get  over  the  fence  with.  I  always 
step  to  the  winder  pretty  certain  what  I  '11  see.  A 
man  just  lightin'  out  for  the  road,  and  Blitzen 
after  him,  makin'  rosettes  of  himself,  bringin'  all 
four  feet  together  at  every  bound  and  hollerin' 
enough  to  croozle  you." 

Jack  laughed. 

"  He  's  a  smart  dog,"  went  on  Miss  Berry  in  the 
tone  of  one  who  gives  the  devil  his  due.  "  He  's 
been  a  means  o'  grace  to  me  more  'n  once,  but  I 
won't  deny  he  's  talented.  Now  after  one  o'  those 
whirlwind  times,  you  'd  think  he  'd  be  so  tuckered 
out  he  'd  just  have  to  lay  down  a  spell  and  get  his 
wind  back ;  but  land,  he  never  turns  a  hair.  All 
the  time  he  's  playin'  hydrophoby  on  that  tramp 
he 's  rememberin'  where  he  buried  his  last  bone, 
and  he  has  n't  any  more  'n  seen  him  over  the  fence 
when  he  switches  around  mute  as  a  mole,  and  digs 
in  the  ground  just  as  pert  as  though  he  'd  never 
used  any  energy  on  anything  else.  He  needs 
nourishment  and  he  knows  it." 


104  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  I  should  suppose  he  would  get  it  some  day," 
remarked  Van  Tassel,  "  in  the  shape  of  poisoned 
meat." 

"  Law,  they  've  tried  that,"  said  Miss  Berry  con 
temptuously.  "  I  've  had  to  laugh  when  I  've  picked 
it  up  in  the  yard  and  burned  it.  It  was  such  a 
simple  idea.  Why,  if  a  tramp  could  come  into 
the  house  and  get  one  o'  ma's  white  China  plates 
with  the  gold  band,  and  set  some  victuals  o'  mine 
on  it  and  pizen  'em,  he  might  stand  some  chance. 
Blitzen  puts  on  more  airs  and  frills  every  day 
about  what  he  will  eat  and  what  he  won't ;  but  as 
for  pickin'  up  strange  doin's !  he  and  I  both 
rather  prefer  our  own  cookin'  to  other  folks's,  any 
way,"  finished  Aunt  Love  with  a  little  conscious 
toss  of  her  head. 

The  oriole  elm  was  still  bedecked  with  diamonds 
when  the  two  entered  Miss  Berry's  yard,  and  the 
branches  of  the  pine  trees  were  weighed  down  with 
a  soft,  white  burden. 

In  the  distance,  at  the  sitting-room  window, 
Blitzen's  head  could  be  seen,  and  it  bobbed  con 
vulsively  as  he  barked  an  excited  welcome  to  his 
adored  mistress. 

"  Such  a  time  as  I  had  to  get  away  from  him 
this  mornin',"  she  said.  "He  knows  Sunday  as 
well  as  you  do,  but  other  days  he  expects  to  go  to 
the  store  with  me,  and  from  the  first  I  expected 
trouble.  I  thought  I  'd  begin  to  plan  about  an 
hour  before  service,  so 's  to  slip  off  without  his 
knowin'  it ;  but  Mr.  Jack,  I  'm  glad  Salem  days 


A   CHRISTMAS    VISITOR.  105 

are  gone  and  done  with,  or  that  dog  would  be 
burned  for  a  witch.  As  sure  as  I  'm  talkin'  to 
you  this  minute,  he  always  knows  what  I  'm  think- 
in'  about.  He  acted  meachin'  from  the  minute 
breakfast  was  over.  I  was  unusually  clever  to 
him  too ;  told  him  Merry  Christmas,  and  snapped 
my  finger  to  him;  but  sir,  he  whined.  He  just 
sat  down  and  looked  at  me  pitiful  and  whined. 
I  really  believed  the  critter  was  sick,  and  felt  of 
his  nose ;  but  it  made  me  jump  ;  't  was  as  cold  's  a 
frog ;  and  law,  when  I  begun  to  go  to  church  I 
found  he  wa'n't  confined  to  the  bed  by  a  long 
chalk.  I  say  begun  to  go  to  church,  'cause  that 's 
just  what  it  was.  I  've  been  back  to  this  house 
this  mornin'  three  different  times,"  said  Aunt  Love 
impressively.  "  The  first  time  Blitzen  was  n't 
in  sight  anywheres,  so  I  just  thought  I  'd  seize 
the  chance,  and  I  turned  the  house-door  key  and 
hurried  down  the  path,  puttin'  my  shawl  on  and 
pinnin'  my  veil  as  I  went.  I  had  n't  but  just  got 
to  the  cross-roads  when  I  spied  him  trottin'  slowly 
along  as  still  and  pious  as  though  he  'd  been  sent 
for  in  a  hurry  to  tend  a  dyin'  friend.  I  sus- 
picioned  mischief,  but  still  I  was  n't  sure.  You 
can  usually  tell  somethiii'  about  a  dog's  notions 
by  his  tail;  but  Blitzen  not  havin'  any  he  gets 
the  best  o'  me  there,  and  he  knows  it.  I  tipped 
along  when  I  saw  him,  for  thinks  says  I  per 
haps  he  's  settin'  out  to  head  me  off  at  the  store, 
and  if  that  was  his  idea  it  just  suited  me ;  for 
'twas  the  other  cross-road  that  was  the  shortest 


106  SWEET   CLOVER. 

way  to  church.  Well,  he  started  that  path. 
Now,"  said  Aunt  Love  argumentatively,  as  she 
mechanically  broke  a  long  twig  from  a  lilac  bush, 
"  I  don't  s'pose  you  believe  any  more  'n  I  do  that 
Blitzen's  got  eyes  in  his  back,  though  why  he 
should  n't  be  equally  blind  in  both  ends  is  another 
o'  the  mysteries ;  but  the  very  minute  I  set  my 
foot,  silent  as  the  dead,  mind  you,  into  the  church 
road,  that  dog  stopped  and  looked  over  his 
shoulder.  It  was  a  hang-dog  look,  but  set.  I 
stopped  too,  and  he  smiled,  —  there,  like  that," 
for  Miss  Berry  had  unlocked  the  house  door  and 
Blitzen  had  flung  himself  upon  her  in  an  ecstasy, 
his  white  teeth  gleaming  once  and  again  as  he 
lifted  his  lip  in  a  canine  grin. 

The  use  of  the  lilac  switch  now  became  apparent 
as  Miss  Lovina,  holding  her  silk  gown  away  with 
one  hand,  with  the  other  belabored  her  adorer  in 
a  business-like  manner  until  he  became  penetrated 
with  the  idea  that  his  addresses  were  unwelcome. 

"  If  't  wa'n't  for  whips,  I  should  n't  have  one 
frock  fit  to  be  seen,"  she  explained  calmly,  as 
Blitzen,  unabashed,  preceded  them  alertly  into  the 
sitting-room,  where  he  had  been  alternately  nap 
ping  and  lamenting  all  the  morning. 

"  Yes,  I  had  to  bring  that  good-for-nothin'  home 
from  the  cross-roads,  —  just  drop  your  coat  right 
off,  Mr.  Jack,  —  and  I  shut  him  up  in  the  shed 
and  hasped  the  door.  Then  I  started  off  again.  I 
told  you  he  was  a  witch.  There  must  be  some  hole 
out  o'  that  shed  that  he 's  made  himself,  for  I 
had  n't  got  ten  rods  from  the  house  before  I  found 


A   CHRISTMAS    VISITOR.  107 

him  stealin'  along  after  me.  Yes,  sir,  you  remem 
ber  it  very  well ;  "  and  Blitzen,  whom  the  switch 
ing  had  not  dispirited,  now  crept  abjectly  under 
the  sofa.  "  The  second  time  I  tried  the  barn,  but 
that  turned  out  to  be  a  sieve  too,  so,  though  it 's 
against  my  rule,  I  was  forced  when  I  came  back 
the  third  time  to  lock  him  in  the  house.  He 
has  n't  broke  a  hole  through  the  house  yet.  Yes, 
you  better  stay  under  there,  you  scamp !  Now 
you  make  yourself  at  home,  Mr.  Jack,  while  I  put 
dinner  on  the  table."  Miss  Berry,  as  she  spoke, 
shook  down  the  coal-stove,  which  she  had  left  to 
burn  as  little  as  possible  in  her  absence.  She 
twitched  one  damper  in  the  back  and  one  in  the 
front.  "  It 's  cold  as  charity  here,"  she  remarked, 
"  but  we  '11  soon  heat  up.  There  's  some  o'  those 
bound  Harpers  you  used  to  like  to  look  at,  with 
the  pictures  o'  the  war  in  'em  ;  or  there  's  the 
Christian  Union.  I  '11  call  you  in  a  little  while. 
Want  a  few  cookies  now,  just  to  stay  your  stom 
ach?" 

Jack  smiled  at  the  familiar  question.  Aunt 
Love  was  one  of  those  comfortable  folk  who  are 
always  wanting  to  stay  people's  stomachs,  espe 
cially  children's.  She  had  never  thought  it  an  odd 
or  inconvenient  fact  that  boys  are  always  hungry. 
What  wonder  that  she  was  popular  ?  Her  visitor 
assured  her  that  he  would  prefer  to  wait,  and  she 
hastened  out  to  the  kitchen,  her  brain  seething 
with  plans  to  prepare  a  meal  which  should  deceive 
the  visitor  as  to  its  impromptu  nature. 

With  great  celerity  she  tied  a  huge  apron  over 


108  SWEET  CLOVER. 

her  black  silk  gown,  and  went  to  work.  Miss 
Berry's  friends,  could  they  have  looked  on,  would 
have  thought  she  had  lost  her  wits  ;  for  never  had 
she  been  known  to  pare  potatoes  to  such  a  reckless 
depth.  She  exulted  in  her  own  rule  never  to  let 
the  kitchen  fire  go  out,  and  flew  hither  and  thither 
with  a  practiced  deftness  which  allowed  of  no  false 
move.  Once  she  stumbled  over  some  object  and 
looked  down  impatiently.  It  was  Blitzen. 

"  I  thought  you  was  under  the  settin'-room  sofa, 
you  rascal.  If  you  dare  to  hender  me  to-day  !  " 
she  said  hotly.  Blitzen  knew  there  was  danger 
in  her  voice,  but  the  chickens  were  beginning  to 
send  forth  an  appetizing  fragrance,  and  all  his 
discretion  could  not  keep  him  from  joining  in  such 
a  novel  romp  as  his  staid  mistress  was  making  of 
getting  dinner.  The  consequence  was  that  in  a 
minute  more  Miss  Lovina  trod  on  his  nimble  toe. 
The  yelp  he  gave  exasperated  her.  She  threw 
open  the  kitchen  door. 

"  Go  out !  "  she  ordered  sternly. 

Blitzen  rolled  over  on  his  back  and  lay  there, 
limp,  looking  like  a  gigantic  caterpillar.  Miss 
Berry  spoke  once  more  in  vain ;  then  she  swooped 
upon  him  in  a  totally  unprecedented  manner,  and 
in  another  moment  the  terrier  was  picking  himself 
out  of  a  snowdrift  to  the  tune  of  the  slamming  of 
the  kitchen  door. 

Jack  could  see  him  from  his  window,  sitting  in 
the  path,  scratching  the  snow  out  of  his  ears,  and 
reflecting  011  the  mutations  of  this  life. 


CHAPTER  X. 

AUNT   LOVE'S   INTERCESSION. 

WHEN  Van  Tassel  saw  Blitzen  describe  an  arc 
which  had  its  beginning  at  the  kitchen  door  and 
its  vanishing  point  in  a  snowdrift,  the  spontaneous 
laugh  which  burst  from  him  sounded  strangely  in 
his  own  ears.  It  was  the  first  time  he  had  laughed 
in  such  fashion  since  that  October  day  when  Page's 
cable  messages  had  found  him  in  Berlin. 

He  had  been  wondering,  as  he  stood  there  by 
Miss  Berry's  small-paiied  window,  whether  Aunt 
Love's  prattle  011  the  way  home  from  church  had 
been  for  the  express  purpose  of  diverting  him. 
He  could  not  connect  even  that  extent  of  diplomacy 
with  this  friend  of  two  of  his  childhood's  summers ; 
but  supposing  her  anecdotes  to  have  had  that  pur 
pose,  they  had  been  successful.  Jack  felt  content 
to  be  here.  The  cold  pure  blankness  of  this  out 
side  world,  the  absence  of  all  necessity  for  exertion 
or  assumption  of  an  interest  he  did  not  feel,  were 
surpassingly  restful. 

He  had  known  that  a  merry  Christmas  was  not 
for  him,  and  had  shrunk  from  either  joining  in  or 
appearing  to  avoid  the  festivities  of  his  Boston 
friends ;  hence  the  idea  of  this  postponed  visit  had 
come  to  him  as  a  deliverance,  and  been  sud 
denly  acted  upon. 


110  SWEET  CLOVER. 

When  Aunt  Love  finally  presented  herself  again, 
smiling,  red-cheeked,  and  minus  the  apron,  Jack 
found  it  awoke  in  him  something  like  the  appetite 
of  olden  days  to  be  led  into  the  dining-room  where 
a  tempting  meal  was  spread. 

The  hostess  heroically  refrained  from  apologies 
concerning  a  certain  dryness  of  those  twice-heated 
chickens,  since  it  might  be  hazardous  to  open  the 
subject ;  and  the  cream  gravy  generously  provided, 
with  the  delicate  mashed  potato,  hot  biscuit,  bran- 
died  peaches,  and  other  adjuncts  of  the  impromptu 
meal,  were  delicious  enough  to  divert  the  attention 
of  even  the  hypercritical  from  complaint.  A  couple 
of  mince  pies,  the  mates  to  those  in  Miss  Getchell's 
possession,  and  cups  of  golden  coffee  with  Alderney 
cream,  finished  a  dinner  calculated  to  put  a  mis 
anthrope  into  good  humor,  provided  his  pessimism 
did  not  arise  from  a  poor  digestion. 

It  was  a  pleasure  in  itself  to  Jack  to  see  what 
pleasure  his  presence  gave.  He  had  been  most 
kindly  and  tactfully  treated  in  the  Page  home; 
but  they  were  too  conscious  there  of  his  sorrow, 
too  comprehensive  of  his  state  of  mind.  Aunt 
Love  was  jolly.  She  was  so  entirely  absorbed  in 
the  pleasant  responsibility  of  making  her  guest 
materially  comfortable,  that  she  seemed  to  have  no 
room  at  present  for  other  thought ;  and  her  own 
wholesome  appetite  was  infectious.  She  talked  of 
summers  long  past,  and  evaded  all  reference  to 
recent  events.  Jack  ate  a  hearty  dinner,  and  as 
Miss  Berry  watched  him  sitting  opposite,  leisurely 


AUNT  LOVE'S  INTERCESSION.  Ill 

drinking  and  appreciating  her  coffee,  she  felt 
wrapped  in  an  atmosphere  of  content. 

"  You  are  going  to  let  me  help  you  clear  this 
all  away  and  wash  the  dishes  ?  "  said  Jack,  as  he 
finished. 

His  hostess  laughed  deprecatingly,  looking  at 
the  hand  with  which  he  raised  his  cup  to  his  lips. 
She  had  been  admiring  the  slender  links  in  his 
immaculate  cuffs  all  through  the  dinner.  There 
was  a  facet-like  cutting  in  their  gold  that  gave 
them  a  glisten  which  attracted  her. 

"  No.  We  're  both  of  us  too  much  dressed  up 
to  wash  dishes,"  she  remarked.  "  I  don't  care  if 
they  ain't  done  for  a  week,  Mr.  Jack.  I  'm  goin' 
to  enjoy  myself  with  you,  this  afternoon.  You 
make  yourself  at  home  in  any  part  o'  the  house  but 
the  kitchen  for  twenty  minutes,  and  then  I  '11  sit 
down  with  you.  I  guess  you  have  n't  forgotten 
your  way  'round." 

Jack  regarded  her  with  serious  brown  eyes. 
"  Are  there  any  moths  in  your  sitting-room  carpet, 
Aunt  Love  ?  "  he  asked. 

Miss  Berry  looked  amazement,  and  even  a  little 
anxiety  lest  her  young  friend's  brain  had  received 
more  of  a  shock  than  she  realized.  "  What  makes 
you  ask  that?"  she  demanded,  being  careful  to 
speak  gently. 

"  I  know  a  sovereign  remedy,  that 's  all." 

"  I  did,  one  time,  have  some  trouble  with  that 
carpet,"  said  Miss  Berry  doubtfully,  "but  pepper's 
good  ;  I  used  that.  Camphor,  too." 


112  SWEET  CLOVES. 

"Tobacco  is  excellent,"  declared  Van  Tassel, 
looking  pensively  into  the  depths  of  his  coffee  ciip. 

A  light  of  comprehension  broke  over  Miss  Berry's 
face. 

"  Mr.  Jack,  do  you  smoke  !  "  she  exclaimed  re 
proachfully.  "  Do  you  shut  those  shiny  white 
teeth  o'  yours  on  an  old  pipe-stem  !  Oh,  there 
never  ought  a  cigar  to  go  into  your  mouth,  never 
in  the  world.  Do  you  smoke  ?  " 

"  Well  —  on  Fourth  of  July's,  and  New  Years, 
and  Christmas,  and  —  birthdays,  I  do  sometimes 
celebrate,  and  I  thought  if  you  wanted  the  moths 
kept  out  of  your  carpet  -  One  thing  really, 
Aunt  Love,  if  cigar  smoke  is  disagreeable  to  you, 
you  ought  to  have  told  me  before  betraying  me 
into  such  a  dinner." 

"  It  is  n't  any  more  disagreeable  to  me  than  it  is 
to  any  other  woman  of  good  principles,"  returned 
Miss  Berry  firmly.  "  'T  is  n't  a  question  o'  that. 
I  can  show  you  statistics,  Mr.  Jack." 

"  Yes,  I  have  seen  statistics,"  he  answered, 
mildly.  "  You  have  n't  time  to  look  them  up  just 
now,  and  I  think  I  '11  walk  out  of  doors  a  while 
and  discuss  the  movement  cure  with  Blitzen,  and 
ask  him  what  part  of  the  chicken  he  '11  take." 

"  No,  no,  Mr.  Jack.  There  ain't  enough  paths 
shoveled  to  make  it  pleasant  to  go  out  around  the 
house.  I  let  Obed  go  just  as  soon  as  he  'd  done 
what  was  absolutely  necessary  this  mornin'.  'T  ain't 
that  a  cigar  's  unpleasant  to  my  nose.  It 's  my 
principles  it  hurts  ;  but  't  ain't  so  bad  if  you  only 


AUNT  LOVE'S  INTERCESSION.  113 

smoke  one  for  an  occasional  recreation.  Remember 
you  can't  suit  me  except  by  makin'  yourself  en 
tirely  at  home ;  "  and  the  hospitable  woman  arose 
from  the  table.  "  If  you  don't  smoke  now  in  the 
sittin'-room,  I  shall  feel  bad." 

So  Van  Tassel  went  back  to  his  window  and 
sent  a  few  rings  of  fragrant  smoke  into  the  air 
before  putting  on  his  hat  and  sallying  down  the 
garden  path.  He  had  not  finished  his  cigar  before 
he  heard  himself  called. 

Miss  Berry  was  standing  in  the  open  door,  beck 
oning  to  him.  "  Time 's  up,"  she  said,  smiling. 

Jack  smiled  back  and  held  up  the  cigar  explan 
atorily. 

"  I  know  all  about  that.  Come  in.  It 's  a  good 
smellin'  one,"  she  added,  as  her  guest  obediently 
returned  to  the  piazza.  "  If  folks  would  burn  a 
few  leaves  o'  tobacco  like  that  occasionally,  it  would 
be  agreeable  enough,  some  like  incense ;  but  it 's  a 
pity  to  have  it  at  the  cost  of  a  man's  poisonin'  his 
lungs." 

Van  Tassel  followed  her  back  to  the  sitting-room, 
where  he  took  the  armchair  she  had  arranged  for 
him,  and  smiled  to  see  that  one  of  the  white  and 
gold  China  saucers  had  even  been  sacrificed  to 
receive  the  ashes  of  that  disapproved  cigar. 

He  thanked  her  and  took  from  his  pocket  a  little 
dark  velvet  box.  "  Here  is  something  I  brought 
you  as  a  Christinas  gift,  Aunt  Love.  I  had  to  get 
it  in  a  hurry  last  night  and  I  don't  feel  sure  that 
it  will  please  you." 


11-1  NIF/7-.T   CLOTKR. 

Miss  Berry  opened  tho  ease  and  gazed  at  a  bar 
pin  of  onyx  sot  with  a  conventional  design  of  poarls. 
"  It 's  good  enough  for  an  einpross  !  "  sho  exclaimed 
in  ingenuous  delight.  lk  Why,  you  're  too  good, 
Mr.  Jack.  I  'in  justgettin'  spoiled  (his  Christinas. 
I  got  another  prosont  out  o'  the  post-oflioo  last 
night,"  and  Miss  Lovina  took  from  her  pocket 
another  and  suiallor  box  which  sho  put  into  flack's 
hand.  Vk  Velvet  too,  you  soo,"  sho  said,  beaming, 
"  and  inoro  precious  yot  insido,  just  liko  yours." 

flaok  opened  tho  case  and  found  a  gold  thimble. 

u  And  it 's  big  enough  for  me,"  announced  tho 
happy  owner  triumphantly  :  Vk  1  did  n't  know  as 
gold  ones  grow  big  enough  for  work i if  hands  like 
mine;  but  you  wouldn't  catch  Mrs.  Van  Tassel 
giviif  anybody  a  thing  they  could  if  t  use." 

Jack's  head  was  bent  above  tho  bauble.  "  Oh, 
it  is  from  her?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Aunt  Love,  recalled  by  his 
tone  from  her  heedless  flight  of  enthusiasm. 
"This  pin  will  always  make  me  vain  and  happy," 
she  addod,  %k  and  I  thank  you  from  my  heart,  Mr. 
Jack,  for  thinkhf  about  me." 

u  You  have  been  an  important  person  in  my 
thoughts  this  fall,"  said  the  young  man,  as  he 
handed  her  the  thimble,  "  for  you  can  toll  mo  of 
my  father." 

Jack  looked  thoughtfully  at  his  cigar,  and  Aunt 
Love,  from  her  neighboring  chair,  looked  at  him. 

"  I  will  toll  you,"  she  said,  after  waiting  a  mo 
ment  to  see  if  her  guest  wished  to  proceed.  "  1 


AUNT  LOVE'S  INTERCESSION.  115 

will  tell  you  everything  I  can.  Do  you  want  to 
ask  me  questions,  or  shall  I  just  talk  to  you  a 
little?" 

"  I  want  to  know  just  how  ill  he  was  through 
the  summer.  I  was  deliberately  kept  in  the  dark." 

Miss  Berry  was  alert  to  perceive  the  resent 
ment  in  the  quiet  tone. 

"  He  was  n't  ill  at  all.  Not  so  to  say  real  sick," 
she  replied.  "  His  head  did  n't  feel  quite  right 
after  that  light  shock  he  got  in  the  spring,  and  he 
thought  he  was  takin'  every  precaution  by  comin' 
out  of  all  the  excitement  of  his  busy  life,  right  to 
this  farm.  The  doctor  said  it  was  just  the  best 
thing  he- could  do  ;  and  Mrs.  Yan  Tassel "  — 

"  Then  he  was  not  confined  to  his  bed  here?  " 

"  No,  indeed.  Not  a  day.  He  had  a  steamer 
chair  out  under  the  big  elm,  and  it  never  seemed 
to  fret  him  a  bit  to  be  idle ;  and  his  wife  "  — 

"He  used  to  write  me  from  under  that  tree," 
said  Jack  thickly. 

"  Yes,  indeed  he  did  ;  and  he  liked  to  be  read 
to,  and  to  play  backgammon  ;  and  whenever  Mrs. 
Van  Tassel " 

"I  ought  to  have  been  here  to  wait  on  him. 
What  I  was  cheated  out  of  !  " 

"  But,  Mr.  Jack,"  Miss  Berry  spoke  pleadingly, 
"  you  was  trampin'  through  Switzerland,  and  just 
havin'  the  best  time  of  all.  Your  father  used  to 
have  guide-books  and  atlases,  and  follow  up  what 
you  were  doin'  every  day.  Why,  he  entered  into 
it,  and  enjoyed  it  just  as  if  it  was  himself.  He 


116  SWEET   CLOVER. 

did  n't  know,  and  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  did  n't  know, 
that  there  was  n't  many  another  summer  comin'." 

"  It  makes  it  especially  hard,"  said  Jack,  still 
staring  at  the  forgotten  cigar,  dropped  now  into 
the  saucer,  "  that  I  had  been  away  from  him  four 
years  already.  The  past  summer  is  the  one  I 
should  have  spent  with  him.  It  seems  as  though 
the  regret  and  the  loss  could  never  be  forgotten. 
There  never  was  such  a  father  as  mine."  The 
speaker's  features  worked  convulsively  an  instant. 
"  The  world  is  only  a  big,  barren  desert,  without 
him,  and  I  might  have  had  all  those  months.  I 
might "  — 

Aunt  Love  used  to  feel  an  especial  tenderness 
for  Jack  when  she  tucked  him  into  bed  at  night, 
because  he  had  no  mother  to  do  it  for  him,  and 
she  had  often  kissed  the  child  after  he  was  asleep, 
for  the  same  reason.  Now  his  pale  face  in  its 
pain  and  effort  at  self-mastery  appealed  to  her 
irresistibly.  In  a  moment  she  had  slipped  her 
arm  around  his  shoulders,  and  with  her  other 
hand  drawn  his  head  gently  against  her  breast. 

"I  know  you've  been  hurt  awful  bad,  dear 
heart,"  she  said,  tears  running  down  her  own 
cheeks,  as  she  softly  patted  his  hair. 

For  Jack,  he  did  not  stop  to  be  astonished.  It 
was  too  comforting  to  have  the  barriers  of  his  self- 
restraint  forcibly  broken  down.  From  the  time 
when  furtive  bitter  drops  had  added  to  the  ocean's 
brine,  as  he  meditated  at  evening  on  board  the 
home-coming  ship  in  cold  November,  no  loving 


AUNT  LOVE'S  INTERCESSION.  117 

human  soul  had  dared  till  now  to  take  his  grief 
into  full  companionship.  Aunt  Love's  primitive, 
spontaneous  method  worked  well.  It  seemed  the 
most  natural  thing  in  the  world  to  her  that  he 
should  weep  in  her  embrace,  on  the  ample  bosom 
of  her  black  silk  gown;  and  who  shall  say  what  a 
comfort  it  was  to  Jack,  with  no  spectators  but  the 
haircloth  chairs  and  sofa,  to  be  held  close  in  loving 
arms  after  weeks  of  lonely,  speechless  heartache 
under  a  conventional  exterior. 

"  You  are  very  good  to  me,"  he  said  at  last,  and 
though  he  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  he  continued 
to  hold  one  of  Aunt  Love's  plump  hands  as 
though  she  were  a  sort  of  anchor  which  he  could 
not  let  go  all  at  once. 

"  And  now  you  've  got  to  be  patient  with  me 
just  a  minute,  dear  boy,"  said  his  companion, 
"and  listen  to  something  you  won't  like  to  hear, 
perhaps.  My  conscience  would  n't  rest  easy  un 
less  I  told  you  a  little  about  your  father's  wife." 

"I  know  her,"  said  Jack.  "I  don't  want  you 
to  think  I  doubt  her  kindness  to  him.  I  am  jeal 
ous  of  her.  That  is  all." 

"  Kindness  ain't  just  the  word,"  persisted  Aunt 
Love.  "  I  can  imagine  your  father  livin'  through 
such  a  summer  as  last  was,  and  havin'  a  pretty 
weary  time  of  it,  cut  off  from  so  much  that  had 
made  his  life  before.  Now  I  just  want  you  to  pic 
ture  this  young  woman,  a  pretty,  girlish  critter 
that  had  seen  trouble  enough  to  make  her  low- 
spirited  if  she  'd  had  a  mind  to  be,  just  studyin' 


118  SWEET   CLOVER. 

to  make  the  days  pleasant  for  him.  She  was 
cheerful  in  just  such  a  stiddy  way  as  a  brook  is; 
not  much  noise  about  it,  but  always  right  there, 
singiii'  if  so  be  you  want  it.  She  played  games 
with  your  dear  father,  or  she  read  to  him,  or  she 
waited  on  him,  or  she  just  set  and  sewed  and  let 
him  look  at  her,  whichever  happened  to  suit  his 
mood ;  and  he  bein'  always  thoughtful  and  tender 
of  her,  'twas  just  a  pleasure  to  see  'em  together. 
She  hunted  up  maps  and  articles  about  places  you 
was  travelin',  and  from  sunrise  till  sunset  she  just 
had  one  idea,  and  that  was  whether  anything 
could  make  Mr.  Van  Tassel  any  more  comfortable 
than  he  was.  He  was  a  happy  man  in  spite  of  the 
new  weakness  which  might  have  made  him  miser 
able.  Ain't  that  somethiii'  for  you  to  remember 
when  you  think  of  the  woman  that  bears  his  name  ? 
You  know  some  kinds  o'  clover  brings  the  person 
that  finds  it  good  luck.  I  often  used  to  think  o' 
that  as  I  watched  'em  together,  and  I  thought 
your  father  had  found  one  of  the  best  sort.  It 's 
a  good  name  for  her.  Clover 's  just  like  her, 
unpretendin'  and  sweet,  whether  it 's  red  or  white ; 
always  cheerful  and  innocent,  distillm'  honey  for 
mankind."  Miss  Berry  paused  a  minute  before 
she  went  on  :  "  The  word  father  means  a  great 
deal  to  you,  Mr.  Jack.  It  was  the  heavenly  Fa 
ther  that  gave  that  lovely  companion  to  soothe  Mr. 
Van  Tassel's  last  days ;  and  the  same  all-lovin' 
Father  has  permitted  a  great  blow  to  fall  upon 
you ;  but  the  Holy  One  whose  birthday  we  are 


AUNT  LOVE'S  INTERCESSION.  119 

keepin'  to-day  said  that  in  this  world  we  must 
have  tribulation,  and  He  told  us,  too,  be  of  good 
cheer.  The  Saviour  did  overcome  the  world; 
there  is  a  heaven,  your  father  has  gone  to  it,  and 
you  and  I  are  both  bound  for  it.  It 's  the  main 
concern  we  've  got  in  life  to  get  ready  for  it.  Let 
your  sorrow  help  you  along,  Mr.  Jack,  and  don't 
shut  anybody  out  o'  your  generous  heart,  least  of 
all  the  woman  I  've  been  talkin'  about." 

Van  Tassel  took  an  eight  o'clock  train  back  to 
Boston  that  night.  He  walked  to  the  station 
with  a  lighter  step  than  the  one  that  had  carried 
him  from  it.  Some  subtle  influence  had  softened 
him ;  some  poisoned  rankling  dart  had  been 
drawn  away.  A  crescent  moon  hung  in  the  sky. 
The  quiet  snowclad  village  suggested  more  than 
ever  the  idea  of  a  Christmas  picture,  and  the 
song  that  the  angels  once  sang,  as  they  floated 
through  the  starry  heavens,  seemed  now  to  fall 
like  a  benediction  from  above :  "  Peace  on  earth, 
good  will  to  men." 


CHAPTER   XL 

THE   DEDICATION. 

GOEHAM  PAGE  thought  he  perceived  a  change 
for  the  better  in  the  spirits  of  his  cousin,  after 
that  visit  to  Pearfield,  but  Jack  said  little  about 
the  event.  It  was  well  into  the  New  Year,  when 
the  two  happened  to  be  alone  in  the  office  one 
afternoon,  that  Jack  mentioned  his  father's  widow 
voluntarily  for  the  first  time  since  his  return. 

"Did  I  understand  you  to  say,  Gorham,  that 
Clover  sent  word  to  me  that  she  should  not  return 
to  the  Hyde  Park  house  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Do  you  think  it  was  because  she  felt  enmity, 
or  because  she  feared  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  is  your  house,"  said  Page.  "  It  was 
left  to  you,  as  it  turns  out." 

"  Yes,  but  what  difference  does  that  make  ? " 
returned  the  other,  with  a  tinge  of  impatience,  the 
unreasonableness  of  which  made  his  cousin  smile. 

"  She  wished  you  to  feel  full  liberty  in  coming 
back,"  said  the  latter.  "She  broke  down  when 
she  spoke  of  it,  I  remember." 

"  I  don't  like  that,"  asserted  Jack,  turning  over 
the  pages  of  Blackstone.  "  I  don't  like  to  have 
Clover  exiled  from  a  comfortable  place,  where  she 


THE  DEDICATION.  121 

would  like  to  be.  It  is  a  dog-in-the-manger  busi 
ness  that  doesn't  suit  me  in  the  least." 

"  I  guess  you  needn't  worry  about  the  matter," 
remarked  Page.  "  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  is  in  no  con 
dition  to  bear  a  Chicago  winter." 

"Do  you  mean  she  is  ill?"  asked  the  other, 
shutting  the  heavy  book  suddenly. 

"  I  don't  know.  She  looks  like  alabaster,  or 
something  that  would  be  easily  broken.  Miss 
Bryant  was  evidently  much  distressed  about  her." 

Jack  fell  into  a  brown  study.  It  sounded 
strange  to  hear  his  cousin  speak  of  these  old 
schoolmates  by  such  names.  The  idea  of  Clover, 
jolly,  laughing  Clover,  with  her  sunburned  cheeks 
and  dancing  blue  eyes,  —  the  idea  that  any  one 
should  speak  of  her  as  looking  like  alabaster. 
And  Miss  Bryant !  It  was  a  jest  in  itself  to  hear 
his  serious  cousin  refer  in  that  tone,  and  by  such 
a  dignified  title,  to  Mildred.  It  was  more  than 
two  years  since  Jack  had  seen  the  romping  girl, 
whose  heavy  hair  would  never  remain  in  its  braid, 
and  who,  it  seemed,  would  never  cease  outgrowing 
her  clothes. 

He  thought  of  the  sisters  for  some  time,  while 
Page  went  on  with  his  work.  He  recalled  the 
little  boy  and  girl  who  had  loved  him,  and  gentle 
Mrs.  Bryant,  whose  mother-heart  had  always  made 
him  welcome  equally  with  her  own  children.  They 
had  all  gone  now  to  that  world  which  had  lately 
gained  definite  interest  for  him.  Had  Clover  and 
Mildred  suffered  yearning  and  loss  comparable 


122  SWEET   CLOVER. 

to  his?  The  mere  thought,  tolerantly  admitted, 
gave  him  a  new  feeling  toward  his  old  comrades. 

At  last  he  spoke  again.  "  Where  did  Mrs.  Van 
Tassel  say  they  were  going  ?  " 

It  was  the  first  time  he  had  given  his  friend 
her  title.  Page  observed  it. 

"  California,"  he  answered  sententiously. 

"  That  does  n't  tell  anything." 

Page  smiled  slightly.  "  Perhaps  that  is  just 
what  she  considered,"  he  returned,  and  Jack 
thought  that  Gorham  was  a  provoking,  dry  sort 
of  fellow. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  'm  going  to  do,"  he  said, 
rising.  "  I  'm  going  to  Chicago." 

"  Are  you  ?  Well,  you  are  that  favored  species 
of  individual  who  can  control  his  own  movements." 

"  Yes.  They  've  ceased  pulling  hair  out  there, 
and  have  decided  to  locate  the  Fair  in  Jackson 
Park,  quite  near  our  house,  you  remember." 

"  So  I  observed.  They  have  lost  a  good  deal  of 
time  in  controversy,  it  strikes  me.  They  will 
have  to  scratch  gravel  now." 

And  this,  if  Mr.  Page  had  only  known  it,  was 
literally  what  had  begun  to  be  done  out  there  in 
Chicago,  in  the  unreclaimed  district  which  bor 
dered  Jackson  Park  on  the  south. 

Sand-dunes,  and  marshes,  woodland  and  slough, 
had  all  to  be  effaced,  for  a  new  earth  must  be 
offered  in  time  to  be  the  foundation  for  those  cas 
tles  in  the  air,  which  were  already  creating  in 
men's  brains. 


THE  DEDICATION.  123 

As  the  scope  of  the  proposed  work  unfolded 
and  became  clear,  the  time  began  to  seem  nigh  to 
hopelessly  short  for  its  accomplishment.  Of  pub 
lic  opinion  in  the  East,  the  kindest  expression  con 
tinued  patronizing,  amused,  and  skeptical;  the 
average,  contemptuous  and  hostile. 

But  Chicago,  which  had  formed  a  habit  of  mak 
ing  stepping-stones  of  obstacles,  now  said  "  I  will " 
with  greater  doggedness  of  purpose  than  ever 
before,  and  sending  steam  dredges  to  invade  the 
wilderness,  began  the  patient,  laborious  grubbing, 
which  was  necessary  to  excavate  in  one  place,  and 
fill  in  in  another.  Meanwhile  the  oldest  inhabi 
tant  wandered  about,  looking  on,  wondering  and 
fascinated.  The  maiden,  going  in  advance  of  the 
feller  of  trees,  caught  with  her  kodak  a  farewell 
glimpse  of  the  wood-road,  that  had  furnished  a 
foothold  amid  the  sand  for  the  spring  violets  of 
her  childhood.  The  small  boy  looked  longingly 
at  the  sloughs,  which  had  been  first  to  freeze  in 
autumn,  and  thought  it  a  thousand  pities  that 
Chicago  had  been  so  brave  as  to  deserve  the  Fair. 
The  Eastern  papers  thought  so  too,  and  still  exer 
cised  the  virtue  of  frankness  to  the  fullest  extent ; 
but  Chicago,  with  all  her  reputation  for  talking, 
now  had  no  time  for  such  indulgence ;  but  emu 
lated  Uncle  Remus's  famous  tar-baby,  who,  it  will 
be  remembered,  when  Brer  Rabbit  jeered  at  her 
once  and  again,  still  "ain't  sayin'  nothin'."  She 
only  grubbed  away,  and  her  citizens  prepared 
themselves  for  the  long  pull,  the  strong  pull,  and 


124  SWEET  CLOVER. 

the  pull  all  together,  which  should  win  ultimate 
triumph. 

When  Jack  arrived  there,  he  found  his  city  in 
all  the  excitement  of  work  and  plans  and  anticipa 
tion.  His  father's  Scotch  housekeeper,  Jeanie, 
was  in  possession  as  of  old  when  he  reached  home, 
and  gave  him  a  reception  in  which  tears  mingled 
with  cordiality.  "  It 's  all  different  without  your 
father,  Mr.  Jack,"  she  mourned,  "  but  we  must 
bear  it,  —  we  must  bear  it." 

Jack  went  through  the  house,  finding  changes 
in  every  room  but  his  own.  In  that  one,  every 
object  was  familiar. 

Jeanie  had  nothing  but  good  words  for  her 
young  mistress.  She  was  ready  to  praise  her  as 
long  as  Jack  would  have  patience  to  listen.  Miss 
Bryant,  too,  came  in  for  a  share  of  her  voluble 
encomiums ;  but  she  did  not  know  where  they  were, 
for  though  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  wrote  her  an  occa 
sional  note,  she  said  they  were  moving  about  from 
place  to  place. 

The  upshot  of  Jack's  trip  was,  that  he  went 
oack  to  Boston  and  his  cousin's  office,  and  waited 
for  destiny  to  show  him  some  natural  way  of  com 
municating  his  generous  impulses  to  Clover. 

So  he  lived  through  the  winter,  keeping  up  some 
interests  in  common  with  certain  of  his  classmates, 
and  gaining  a  reputation  for  touchiness  regarding 
his  native  city,  with  whose  exertions  he  felt  a  loyal 
and  filial  sympathy.  It  made  him  hot  to  read  and 
hear  frequent  allusions  to  prove  that  the  public 


THE  DEDICATION.  125 

was  still  holding  its  sides  with  merriment  over  the 
exquisite  humor  of  the  idea  that  upstart,  pork- 
packing  Chicago  should  undertake  to  conceive 
and  carry  out  a  true  World's  Fair,  one  fit  to  fol 
low  the  great  similar  achievements  of  the  Old 
World  nations,  and  to  be  an  adequate  embodi 
ment  of  the  high  ideas  which  gave  birth  to  the 
enterprise. 

It  was  little  mollifying  to  him  to  perceive  that 
much  of  the  sneering  had  at  least  the  merit  of 
genuineness;  that  there  was  much  sincere  incre 
dulity  of  Chicago's  ability  to  rise  to  an  occasion 
so  remote  from  her  habits  and  experience.  With 
his  Cambridge  training,  his  youth,  and  his  years 
of  absence  from  home,  he  might  have  sympathized 
in  all  this,  more  with  than  against  the  Eastern 
element,  but  for  his  father's  active  labors,  and  his 
own  knowledge  of  the  men  who  had  the  matter  in 
hand. 

Only  once  Jack  heard  of  Clover  and  Mildred 
during  the  summer  that  followed.  He  visited 
Miss  Berry  again,  and  heard  from  her  that  Mrs. 
Van  Tassel's  health  was  reestablished,  and  that 
the  sisters  had  taken  a  trip  to  Alaska.  He  asked 
her  to  convey  to  them,  for  him,  an  earnest  invita 
tion  to  return  to  the  homestead,  whenever  they 
pleased. 

Once  again,  in  the  winter,  he  learned  from  the 
same  source  of  information  that  they  had  gone  to 
Europe.  In  June,  Van  Tassel  and  Page  took  a 
trip  through  the  English  and  Scottish  lakes  to- 


126  SWEET  CLOVER. 

gether.  Clover  and  Mildred  evidently  wished  to 
live  a  life  apart.  Very  well,  it  should  be  as  they 
pleased ;  but  Jack  could  not  help  looking  for 
them  at  each  little  inn  where  his  and  Page's 
horses  stopped.  His  father's  memory  was  still  a 
living,  ever-present  one,  and  persons  so  strongly 
associated  with  him  could  not  be  forgotten. 

In  the  autumn  the  young  men  came  home  to 
find  the  country  absorbed  in  Columbian  celebra 
tions.  Red  and  yellow  was  as  popular  a  combi 
nation  as  red,  white,  and  blue.  Columbus  was 
pictured  on  every  hand.  There  was  no  sameness, 
no  fear  of  monotony  about  these  representations. 
He  was  shown  thin  and  stout,  old  and  young,  fair 
and  dark,  narrow-visaged  and  rotund  of  counte 
nance.  Meanwhile,  the  dedication  in  his  honor 
drew  on  apace. 

The  twentieth  of  October,  Chicago  was  to  be 
clothed  in  bunting,  and  the  great  men  of  the  coun 
try  were  to  be  drawn  by  prancing  steeds  through 
her  streets.  On  the  twenty-first,  the  Exposition 
buildings  were  to  be  dedicated  to  their  splendid 
use,  and  Jack  Van  Tassel  told  his  cousin  that 
they  must  both  be  present  at  the  ceremonies. 
Page  demurred,  but  Van  Tassel  had  his  way,  and 
ten  o'clock  of  that  sunshiny,  clear,  Friday  morn 
ing  found  the  two  men  entering  the  grounds, 
where  a  sense  of  roominess  was  the  first  sensation, 
after  struggling  in  the  city's  crowd. 

Jack  felt  his  breast  swell  with  pride  in  the  fair 
scene,  incomplete,  yet  already  inspiring  ;  but  he 


THE  DEDICATION.  127 

forbore  from  being  the  first  to  comment.  Let  the 
Boston  man  speak ;  and  he  finally  did.  Page's 
eyes  slowly  took  in  an  overwhelming  impression 
of  the  general  scheme,  —  of  what  had  already 
been,  and  what  would  be  accomplished.  Then  he 
spoke :  — 

"  This  is  great  —  so  far." 

The  words  were  balm  to  his  companion. 

Page  went  on. 

"But  Eastern  men  designed  these  palaces. 
Eastern  art "  — 

"  Now  look  here,"  burst  forth  Jack.  "  Don't 
try  to  apologize  for  Chicago's  achievement.  She 
has  n't  got  there  yet,  quite,  of  course,  but  she  is 
arriving.  She  had  sense  enough  to  make  this 
Fair  a  national  and  not  a  local  business.  You  're 
surely  not  surprised  at  that  ?  She  understood  it 
that  way  from  the  first.  They  are  not  all  Chicago 
men  who  have  done  this  work,  but  be  kind  enough 
to  remember  that  they  are  Chicago  men  who 
have  laid  the  brains  of  this  country  under  contri 
bution,  and  whose  indomitable  energy  has  been 
the  steam  which  has  actuated  the  vast  machinery 
of  construction  from  the  beginning,  and  will  do 
so  to  the  end.  Don't  explain  it,  my  friend ;  just 
say  it  is  stupendous,  and  pass  on." 

Page,  as  he  silently  obeyed,  remembered  Mil 
dred  Bryant's  prophetic  words  in  the  Portland 
train :  — 

"It  is  very  fortunate  for  the  country  that  we 
have  taken  the  Fair." 


128  SWEET  CLOVER. 

It  began  to  look  that  way ;  still  herculean  tasks 
remained. 

Jack  had  received  an  invitation  to  witness  the 
parade  from  the  loggia  of  the  Mining  building, 
and  the  cousins  bent  their  steps  thither,  between 
the  lines  of  waiting  spectators.  At  present,  the 
building  was  used  as  barracks  for  troops.  The 
two  glanced  down  the  neat  perspective  of  soldier 
beds,  as  they  ran  up  the  broad  flight  of  steps 
leading  to  the  gallery,  then  they  came  out  upon 
the  balcony  that  faces  north,  and  looked  with 
interest  upon  the  scene.  Flags  in  great  numbers 
were  flying  from  every  roof.  The  waterways  and 
Wooded  Island  lay  before  them  in  the  October 
sunlight. 

They  were  talking  of  the  names  of  buildings, 
and  discussing  the  fabulous  measurements  of  the 
mountain  called  Manufactures  and  Liberal  Arts, 
when  a  new  party  appeared  from  the  gallery  door 
way.  The  new-comers  advanced  to  an  arch  a 
couple  of  rods  from  where  the  young  men  were 
standing,  and  Jack,  who  was  profoundly  inter 
ested  in  his  subject,  merely  received  an  impression 
of  beauty  and  fashion  as  he  glanced  at  them,  and 
then,  looking  back,  returned  to  his  statistics. 

"  If  they  can  only  have  good  weather  the  com 
ing  winter,"  he  went  on,  "  the  thing  will  be  ready 
May  1st,  in  spite  of  the  croakers." 

Soft  laughter  and  happy  voices  came  from  be 
yond  the  massive  masonry,  which  half  concealed 
their  neighbors. 


TEE  DEDICATION.  129 

"  Jack,"  said  Page,  in  a  low  tone,  "  Mrs.  Van 
Tassel  and  Miss  Bryant  are  with  that  party." 

"  No  !     Why,  I  did  n't  see  them." 

"  Yes.  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  has  some  kind  of  a 
gray  and  white  dress  on,  and  Miss  Bryant "  — 

"  I  want  to  get  out  of  here,  then." 

Page  answered  him  sharply. 

"Is  it  your  intention  to  play  the  role  of  Indian 
toward  those  ladies  the  rest  of  your  life  ?  " 

"No,  nothing  of  the  kind,"  returned  Van  Tassel 
uncomfortably.  "  I  am  more  willing  to  see  them 
than  they  probably  are  to  see  me.  I  don't  blame 
Clover,  if  she  chooses  never  to  meet  me  again.  I 
suppose  she  remembers  as  clearly  as  I  do  some  of 
the  last  things  I  said  to  her .  Whew !  "  for  in 
changing  their  positions  one  member  of  the  party 
had  stepped  back  into  plain  sight,  "  what  a  stun 
ning  girl  they  have  with  them  !  " 

"  That  was  Miss  Bryant,"  said  Page. 

"No,  no.  You  didn't  see  the  one  I  meant. 
Splendid  creature;  carried  her  head  as  though 
the  Fair  was  built  expressly  for  her." 

"  Yes,  that  was  Miss  Bryant.  I  have  met  her 
a  number  of  times.  Perhaps  I  had  better  go  over 
and  speak  to  her." 

"  Don't  think  of  it  till  I  am  out  of  the  way," 
and  Jack  grasped  his  cousin's  arm.  "That,  Mil 
dred?  Milly  Bryant?"  he  added  incredulously, 
looking  reminiscently  into  that  young  woman's 
past,  and  seeing  a  combination  of  tanned  counte 
nance,  rough  hair,  and  old  clothes  revealing  sur- 


130  SWEET  CLOVER. 

plus  wrist  and  ankle  ;  a  picture  which  refused  to 
have  relation  to  the  trim  and  elegant  young  crea 
ture  who  had  caught  his  eye. 

This  revelation  increased  to  a  panic  Jack's  de 
sire  not  to  intrude  upon  these  friends.  As  though 
to  enlighten  him  still  further,  Mildred  insisted 
that  her  sister  should  step  back  also,  and  see  some 
vista,  which  her  own  movement  had  brought  into 
range. 

Jack  instinctively  shrank  more  closely  into  the 
shadow  of  his  pillar,  while  Page  sympathetically 
followed  his  example,  and  both  stole  glances  at 
Clover's  pleased,  unconscious  face ;  a  changed  face 
from  that  which  either  of  the  men  knew  as  hers. 
Jack  saw  in  it  the  signs  of  a  greater  maturity  and 
life-experience,  as  well  as  the  subtle  charm  which 
exists  in  a  lovely  woman  whose  advantages  are 
set  off  by  tasteful  and  fashionable  attire.  Page 
saw  what  still  seemed  to  him  an  angelic  counte 
nance,  only  made  earthly  by  the  tints  of  healthy 
youth,  alert  with  interest;  these  smiling  lips  were 
but  distantly  related  to  the  rigid,  delicate  mouth 
he  remembered. 

Clover  vanished  again,  recalled  by  her  compan 
ions'  interest  in  a  company  of  cavalry  who  gal 
loped  in  golden  glory  across  a  distant  bridge. 

"  I  wish  I  was  out  of  this,"  exclaimed  Jack. 
"  They  may  all  take  it  into  their  heads  to  come 
over  here  any  minute.  If  the  girls  were  alone,  I 
should  n't  mind  it.  They  could  behave  as  they 
pleased  then ;  but  with  mutual  friends  it  would 


TIIK   DEDICATION.  131 

be  very  awkward  for  them.  Dick  Ogden  is  in  the 
party.  I  can  hear  his  laugh  this  minute.  I  'm 
going1,  Gorham." 

"  Very  well,  1  too,  then.  I  lore  comes  some 
governor  and  his  staff." 

"  Yes,  it  is  Russell.  The  crowd  is  safe  to  cheer 
now  and  wave  handkerchiefs  for  five  minutes.  It 
is  our  chance.  We  sha'n't  be  noticed.  Come." 

Jack  started  across  the  loggia  with  Page  beside 
him.  As  ill  luck  would  have  it,  the  only  one  of 
the  party  by  the  balcony  who  turned  idly  curious 
eyes  to  look  after  the  pair  was  his  friend  Ogden. 

"  Why  there  's  —  it  i,s  Van  Tassel !  "  ejaculated 
the  latter.  "  Oh,  Van." 

How  Jack  anathematized  the  cheerful,  loud 
voice.  He  turned  a  deaf  ear  and  hastened  on. 

"  Van  Tassel !  "  bawled  the  other.  "  Here, 
what 's  the  matter  with  you  ?  They  're  here,  old 
fellow." 

There  is  no  creature  so  difficult  to  escape  as  the 
man  who  is  convinced  he  is  doing  you  a  favor. 

Jack  could  hear  the  legs  of  his  persecutor's  chair 
grate  on  the  flooring  as  he  sprang  to  his  feet.  He 
paused  and  turned  around,  knowing  that  if  he  per 
sisted,  his  misguided  friend  would  not  hesitate  to 
pursue  and  capture  him  in  his  zeal. 

"  They  're  right  here,"  repeated  Ogden  explana 
torily,  his  ingenuous  florid  face  beaming.  "  Was 
n't  it  curious  you  should  have  passed  by,  so  near 
and  yet  so  far?  " 

Van  Tassel  and  Page  advanced,  the  former  with 


132  SWEET  CLOVER. 

a  rigidly  impassive  countenance.  It  seemed  long 
to  him  that  he  was  crossing  the  ten  feet  of  balcony 
which  lay  between  him  and  the  young  women 
whose  reception  he  feared  sensitively. 

Ogden,  and  doubtless  their  other  friends,  sup 
posed  them  united  by  ties  of  intimacy.  Much  as 
he  disliked  to  obtrude  himself  upon  them,  to  per 
mit  strangers  to  suppose  that  he  was  not  pleased  to 
meet  these  ladies  would  set  many  tongues  wagging 
and  was  not  to  be  considered.  Better  to  risk  a 
snub  than  to  appear  disloyal  to  those  his  father 
had  honored. 

But  he  need  not  have  feared.  Clover  and  Mil 
dred  were  not  the  inexperienced  girls  of  his  ac 
quaintance.  They  had  taken  in  the  situation  as 
keenly  as  he  had  done,  and  when  he  reached  them 
were  ready  to  greet  him  and  Mr.  Page  in  a  matter- 
of-course  manner,  calculated  to  divert  suspicion  had 
any  existed.  The  circumstances,  moreover,  were 
favorable.  The  common  interest  of  the  parade  at 
once  claimed  the  attention  of  all,  and  after  Page 
had  been  introduced  to  the  strangers  of  the  party, 
Jack  drew  a  breath  of  relief  that  at  any  rate  the 
ice  was  broken. 

He  stood  near  Mildred,  looking  down  upon  the 
gay  plumes,  uniforms,  and  prancing  steeds  of  the 
procession,  and  wished  she  would  address  him. 
Was  this  the  girl  who  had  always  been  eagerly 
ready  to  act  as  crew  of  his  boat,  whose  strong  arms 
had  not  been  of  contemptible  assistance  in  bailing 
her  out  ?  who  had  received  his  invitations  to  sail 


THE  DEDICATION.  133 

in  a  thankful  spirit,  being  thereby  richly  repaid  for 
her  physical  exertions  ?  She  had  sometimes  needed 
to  be  snubbed  out  of  too  energetic  participation  in 
his  own  and  Clover's  plans.  She  had  been  a  good 
fellow  always,  Jack  remembered,  even  if  occasion 
ally  inconveniently  effervescent  in  the  matter  of 
animal  spirits  ;  had  been  an  honest,  fair  antago 
nist,  with  a  brave  love  of  sport. 

It  struck  Van  Tassel  as  very  curious  that  he 
should  be  so  meekly  desirous  now  of  a  crumb  of 
friendly  notice  from  one  who  had  looked  up  to  him 
so  long  and  loyally. 

He  wished  he  could  forget  some  of  those  heated 
things  he  had  said  to  Clover  on  that  miserable 
afternoon.  Of  course  she  had  repeated  them  to 
her  sister,  and  he  felt  uncomfortably  sure  that  the 
memory  of  them  was  even  now  seething  beneath 
the  jetted  crown  of  Miss  Bryant's  hat. 

He  envied  Page  the  unconsciousness  with  which 
he  could  lean  toward  either  sister,  making  and 
receiving  comments.  Clover's  sweet  face  moved 
him  with  a  tide  of  thought  that  gave  his  eyes  a  sad 
expression,  which  she  caught  on  the  only  occasion 
when  she  looked  up  into  his  face. 

On  the  whole,  it  was  an  uncomfortable  half- 
hour  which  Jack  spent  in  that  loggia.  The  talk 
and  laughter  of  the  others  gave  him  a  feeling  of 
remoteness  and  isolation.  He  wanted  Clover  or 
Mildred  to  speak  to  him,  and  they  did  not.  He 
could  not  address  them  without  a  bit  of  encourage 
ment.  It  was  a  relief  to  him  when  it  was  proposed 


134  SWEET  CLOVER. 

to  forsake  the  interminable  lines  of  militia  which 
were  filing  by  the  Transportation  Building,  and 
adjourn  in  search  of  luncheon. 

Page  seemed  determined  to  accept  Dick  Ogden's 
urgent  invitation  that  the  cousins  should  continue 
of  the  party,  and  indeed  Gorham  started  off  gayly 
with  Mildred,  as  though  it  were  a  matter  of  course 
that  Jack  should  follow.  The  consequence  was  that, 
feeling  a  good  deal  as  though  the  whole  experience 
were  a  dream  of  the  Thanksgiving  variety,  Van 
Tassel  found  himself  after  a  while  placed  next 
Clover  at  table.  On  her  other  side  sat  Dick's  mo 
ther,  a  lady  remarkable  for  an  imposing  figure  and 
a  fluffy  pompadour  of  curling  white  hair.  As  this 
personage  declared  that  the  morning  in  the  open 
air  had  given  her  an  alarming  appetite  and  pro 
ceeded  to  apply  her  full  attention  to  its  demands, 
conversation  with  her  languished.  Jack  observed 
this,  and  renouncing  the  nightmare  idea  with  an 
effort,  endeavored  to  make  necessity  serve  him. 

"  You  have  been  abroad  all  summer,  I  believe," 
he  remarked  to  his  neighbor. 

"  Yes,  longer  than  that,"  returned  Clover.  Her 
self-possession  seemed  untroubled  ;  but  in  reality 
she  suffered,  too,  from  mingled  emotions.  She  pit 
ied  Jack,  but  resented  the  fact  that  circumstances 
had  forced  them  together,  and  his  presence  evoked 
memories  overwhelmingly  bitter  and  tender. 

"Gorham  Page  and  I  did  the  lake  regions  of 
England  and  Scotland  this  year,"  he  went  on. 
"  Did  you  happen  to  be  in  that  vicinity  ?  " 


THE  DEDICATION.  135 

"  No,  we  stayed  in  Switzerland  during  the  sum 
mer  months." 

"  You  have  seen  much  of  the  world  in  the  last 
two  years." 

"  Yes.  Mildred  and  I  feel  ourselves  quite  ex 
perienced  travelers." 

"  Shall  you  be  satisfied  to  settle  down  now  for  a 
time?" 

"  I  can  hardly  tell.  We  have  formed  a  danger 
ous  habit." 

"  Are  you  "  -  Jack  looked  busily  into  his  plate 
— "  Are  you  stopping  at  home  —  at  the  old 
house?" 

"We  have  no  home  yet.  We  mean  to  settle 
down  some  day  and  make  one." 

"  Why,  have  you  parted  with  that  dear  old 
place,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Ogden  sono 
rously,  helping  herself  again  to  chicken  salad. 

"  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  finds  it  rather  large  for  her 
purposes,  I  fancy,"  answered  Jack  quickly,  "  and 
our  old  housekeeper  mourns  her  defection  ;  but  we 
haven't  parted  with  the  place.  I  was  there  in 
January,  Clover,  and  Jeanie  shed  a  few  tears  in 
her  homesickness  for  you.  I  haven't  seen  her 
yet  this  time.  Page  and  I  only  got  in  yesterday, 
and  we  went  to  the  Great  Northern." 

Jack  did  not  add  that  this  unusual  step  was 
taken  because  he  hoped  that  Clover  and  her  sister 
might  have  returned  and  taken  advantage  of  the 
invitation  he  sent  them  long  ago  through  Miss 
Berry. 


136  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Do  you  know  how  steadily  I  have  clung  to 
Boston  of  late  ?  "  he  continued. 

"  Aunt  Love  wrote  me  you  were  there  with  your 
cousin.  Are  you  going  to  adopt  it  as  your  home  ?  " 

"  No  indeed.  You  will  think,  Mrs.  Ogden," 
leaning  forward  to  speak  across  Clover  to  her 
neighbor,  "  that  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  and  I  are  very 
poor  correspondents.  Here  we  have  both  been 
roving  about  for  the  past  year  and  waiting  to  meet 
in  order  to  learn  details  about  one  another's  move 
ments." 

"  You  can't  tell  me  anything  about  young  men 
as  correspondents,"  replied  Mrs.  Ogden  feelingly. 
"  When  Dick  is  away,  the  most  I  ever  expect  from 
him  is  a  telegram  every  day  or  two." 

"We're  a  bad  lot,"  admitted  Jack.  "No," 
speaking  again  to  Clover,  "  I  am  a  Chicagoan, 
and  just  now  prouder  than  ever  of  the  fact.  I 
fancy  that  we  shall  all  come  home  like  straying 
chickens  on  May  1,  '93.  Of  course  you  intend  to 
be  here  during  the  Fair  ?  " 

"  Yes.    Mildred  and  I  both  anticipate  it  highly." 

"  I  tell  you,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel,"  put  in  Mrs.  Og 
den,  "  if  you  don't  want  to  use  your  house  next 
summer,  you  can  make  a  fortune  renting  it.  In 
that  situation,  within  walking  distance  of  the 
grounds,  you  can  get  anything  you  like  to  ask  for 
it." 

Clover  for  a  second  time  was  about  to  disclaim 
any  right  or  title  to  the  homestead,  but  Jack  be 
sought  her  with  a  glance. 


THE  DEDICATION.  137 

"  I  think  we  shall  find  it  too  convenient  to  be 
dispensed  with,"  he  said  hastily. 

After  luncheon  the  party  separated  ;  their  invi 
tations  to  the  dedicatory  exercises  in  the  Liberal 
Arts  Building  admitting  them  to  different  situa 
tions. 

The  scene  was  such  as  one  is  glad  to  have  as 
sisted  in  for  its  uniqueness  if  nothing  more.  Even 
seeing  scarcely  made  it  possible  to  grasp  the  vast- 
ness  of  an  auditorium  covering  forty  acres ;  through 
whose  outer  corridors  companies  of  cavalry  passed 
now  and  then  without  making  a  noticeable  sound 
within.  Theodore  Thomas's  orchestra  with  its  at 
tendant  singers,  a  company  of  six  thousand  in  all, 
made  but  a  little  bright  bouquet  in  one  spot,  and 
the  leader  was  obliged  to  telephone  to  the  platform 
half  way  down  the  hall  in  order  to  be  informed 
when  a  speech  had  ceased  and  a  musical  number 
might  take  its  turn. 

At  the  end  of  the  building  opposite  from 
Thomas,  the  Mexican  band  enlivened  the  medita 
tions  of  the  few  thousands,  fifteen  or  so,  who  were 
hear  enough  to  enjoy  their  martial  strains. 
Mammoth  banners  and  flags  made  gay  the  grand 
arches  that  supported  the  roof,  and  each  tassel  on 
those  which  were  so  decorated  weighed  as  much 
as  a  woman. 

Only  a  Brobdignagian  could  have  felt  at  ease 
in  such  surroundings,  yet  wonderful  order  was 
maintained  amid  this  largest  audience  ever  gath 
ered  together  under  one  roof. 


138  SWEET   CLOVER. 

Clover  and  Mildred  were  near  enough  to  the 
singers  to  hear  the  piece  de  resistance,  Chadwick's 
inspiring,  moving  ode,  and  as  she  listened  Clover's 
eyes  grew  moist  under  the  stress  of  the  day's 
emotions. 

"  Jack  is  evidently  very  friendly,"  she  said  that 
night  to  her  sister,  when  they  were  alone  in  their 
room  at  the  Auditorium. 

"  He  ought  to  be,"  returned  Mildred  shortly. 

"  He  behaved  very  well  and  kindly,"  continued 
Clover.  "  The  situation  was  odious." 

"  Odious.  I  should  think  so,"  remarked  Mil 
dred.  "  I  never  disliked  that  bawling  Dick  Ogden 
as  I  did  when  he  kept  on  calling  Jack  like  that. 
Don't  begin  to  praise  him  to  me,"  added  the  girl, 
turning  toward  her  elder  a  glowing  face.  "  After 
Jack  Van  Tassel  has  dragged  around  on  his 
knees  a  good  long  time  I  am  going  to  forgive  him. 
Not  before." 

Clover  looked  troubled.  "  But  it  might  all  have 
been  so  awkward  for  us  had  he  chosen  to  behave 
differently,"  she  protested.  "It  is  much  easier 
for  us  to  lock  injuries  in  our  breasts  that  the 
world  knows  nothing  of,  than  it  would  be  to  have 
a  gossiping  set  of  people  wondering  and  staring. 
Jack  has  grasped  the  bunch  of  nettles  and  saved 
us  from  those  stings.  You  can  feel  as  you  please 
about  it,  but  I  am  grateful." 

"  I  wish  he  would  go  away.  I  wish  he  'd  go  to 
Kamschatka,"  exclaimed  Mildred  hotly.  "  I  can't 
rid  myself,  when  he  is  present,  of  the  idea  that 


THE  DEDICATION.  139 

he  is  considering  how  very  differently  we  should 
be  situated  now  if  it  were  n't  for  dear  Mr.  Van 
Tassel." 

"  Well,  it  is  true." 

"  Don't  be  tiresome,  Clover.  Of  course  it  is 
true  ;  but  Jack  has  grown  so  grave  and  quietly 
observing,  I  feel  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  en 
dure  having  him  about.  I  like  fine  clothes  and 
fashionable  life  generally,  and  when  I  am  soaring 
in  my  natural  element,  if  Jack  is  going  to  give  me 
those  meditative,  suggestive  stares,  it  will  ruin  my 
pleasure.  It  is  just  as  if  one  had  a  string  about 
a  bird's  ankle  and  could  twitch  it  down  whenever 
he  liked." 

"  I  think  you  feel  so  because  you  have  n't 
talked  with  him  yet,  Mildred.  You  know  Jack 
was  always  generous." 

"  Was  he  ?  "  the  young  girl  faced  her  sister. 
uWas  he  when  he  accused  you  and  insulted 
you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  've  forgiven  him,  Milly,"  returned  the 
other  gently,  making  a  repressive  gesture.  "  I 
have  considered  his  standpoint  a  great  deal  since 
then  ;  and  we  enjoyed  his  father  and  benefited  by 
him  when  the  only  son  was  far  away.  We  even 
had  the  priceless  privilege  of  serving  him  in  his 
last  days,  while  Jack  was  unwittingly  defrauded. 
Oh,  I  should  not  have  been  at  all  surprised  if  he 
had  been  unable  to  take  me  by  the  hand  to-day. 
Don't  be  hard  on  Jack." 


CHAPTER   XII. 


A  FEW  days  afterward  a  bell-boy  brought  Gor- 
ham  Page's  card  to  Mrs.  Van  Tassel's  parlor.  It 
was  followed  shortly  by  the  young  man  himself, 
who  felicitated  himself  upon  his  good  fortune  in 
finding  her  at  home. 

u  My 'stay  in  Chicago  will  be  so  short,  that  had 
you  been  out  I  fear  I  should  not  have  met  you 
again,"  he  said.  "  I  am  happy  to  see,  Mrs.  Van 
Tassel,"  Gorham  inspected  her  with  kindly,  short 
sighted  eyes,  "  that  travel  has  done  all  for  you 
Miss  Bryant  hoped.  Your  face  has  quite  a  new 
color  and  contour." 

"No,  just  my  old  one,"  she  answered  lightly, 
indicating  a  seat  near  her  own.  "  I  am  sorry  my 
sister  is  out;  but  she  is  a  gay  girl,"  with  a  little 
smiling  sigh.  "  Wherever  she  is,  somehow  a  num 
ber  of  engagements  seem  to  crop  up." 

"Yes.  One  can  see  that  she  is  a  leader  by 
nature.  I  should  like  to  have  seen  Miss  Bryant. 
However,  my  errand  is  with  you  especially  to-day." 

"  Oh,  it  is  an  errand  that  has  brought  you  ? 
How  unflattering !  " 

"  Not  necessarily.  It  argued  nothing  unflatter 
ing  when  John  Alden  performed  his  famous  errand 
to  Priscilla." 


GORE  AM   PAGE'S   COMMISSION.  141 

Page  looked  argumentatively  into  his  hostess's 
amused  eyes. 

"Haven't  you  gone  a  long  way  afield  for  a 
simile  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  No,  I  think  not.  I  was  quite  as  reluctant  as 
poor  John  to  accept  the  mission." 

"  Then  decline  it  even  at  this  late  hour.  I  am 
the  least  curious  of  women." 

"  Impossible."  Page  shook  his  head.  "  Miles 
Stamlish  is  waiting  for  me  over  there  at  the 
Northern,  and  he  is  in  a  great  state  of  mind." 

"  You  tempt  me  to  wish  I  had  been  out  when 
your  card  came  up.  Perfunctory  visits  are  very 
uncomfortable.  I  think  you  had  better  return  to 
your  friend,  and  tell  him  that  Priscilla  would  not 
allow  you  to  speak." 

"  I  'm  not  making  you  uncomfortable,  am  I  ?  " 
asked  Gorham  looking  up  and  half  laughing. 
"  You  see  it  is  this  way.  I  wanted  to  come  to  see 
you,  and  as  soon  as  Jack  learned  my  intention,  he 
burdened  me  with  this  business.  He  told  me  to 
be  eloquent,  and  not  being  in  the  least  so,  I  am 
overwhelmed  by  my  responsibilities.  I  had  a  pre 
sentiment,  and  told  him  so,  that  I  should  make 
a  mess  of  the  whole  affair ;  but  he  insisted  upon 
trusting  his  messenger  as  blindly  as  the  Puritan 
captain  of  old." 

Page  had  a  way  of  lapsing,  as  he  talked,  into  a 
meditative  manner. 

"  And  do  you  insist  upon  refusing  to  be  warned 
by  John  Alden's  failure?"  asked  Mrs.  Van 
Tassel. 


142  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Oh,  I  must  n't  fail,"  lie  returned  with  prompt 
simplicity.  "  That  is,  if  I  do  I  shall  take  a  room 
here  in  the  Auditorium  for  the  remainder  of  my 
stay.  We  all  make  rather  a  pet  of  Jack,"  he 
explained.  "  The  thought  of  denying  him  or  con 
tradicting  him  presents  itself  somewhat  in  the 
light  of  a  catastrophe.  What  do  you  think,  Mrs. 
Van  Tassel,  of  the  effect  on  the  average  character 
of  a  habit  of  success  ?  " 

Eeally,  Clover  thought  this  was  one  of  the  odd 
est  men  she  had  ever  met ;  but  his  question  was 
so  serious  that  she  felt  constrained  to  express  an 
opinion. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  am  no  student  of  character,  but 
I  should  say  it  would  have  a  genial,  developing 
effect." 

"  Yes,  one  thinks  so  at  the  first  blush,  and  that 
continued  failure  would  dwarf  the  faculties.  One 
can  hardly  lay  down  a  rule  where  exceptions  are 
so  numerous ;  and  of  course  success  and  failure 
are  never  accidents." 

"  I  think  they  seem  to  be  so  very  often." 

"  No,"  Page  shook  his  head.  "  Everything  is 
the  result  of  law." 

"  Then  the  character  that  dominates  and  com 
mands  success  must  grow  by  what  it  feeds  upon, 
and  expand  in  its  own  sunlight.  I  was  right." 

"  Yes ;  but  the  flowers  and  fruits  of  a  tropical 
sun  are  heavy  in  scent  and  often  coarse  of  flavor : 
while  the  flower  that  struggles  for  life  and  devel 
ops  in  meagre  warmth  is  like  the  New  England 
arbutus,  both  strong  and  delicate." 


GORHAM  PAGE'S   COMMISSION.  143 

"  People  have  such  varying  standards  by  which 
they  measure  success  and  failure,"  said  Clover. 
"That  sort  of  scanty,  hard-won  success  which 
might  be  typified  by  the~arbutus  would  scarcely  be 
counted  success  by  many." 

"True,"  said  Page,  nodding  his  head  at  her 
thoughtfully.  "  There  ought  to  be  some  reliable 
touchstone  which  we  could  apply  to  every  case."  • 

"  Surely  there  is,"  replied  Clover. 

Her  guest  brightened.  "  You  mean  we  should 
judge  according  to  our  best  education  in  right  and 
wrons:?  " 

O 

She  nodded.  "  It  amounts  to  that.  It  seems 
to  me  that  all  that  comes  to  us  is  important  only 
according  to  its  effect  on  character." 

Page  looked  at  her  with  admiring  approval. 
Here  was  a  woman,  a  girl  in  years,  who  had 
thought. 

"  Are  your  beliefs  simply  ethical,"  he  asked, 
"  or  are  you  religious  in  the  usual  acceptation  of 
the  word  ?  " 

" 1  suppose  I  understand  you,"  she  replied.  "  I 
think  if  I  could  not  say  that  I  am  religious  I 
should  not  be  here  to  say  anything.  I  have  stood 
in  places  where  ethical  culture  and  humanitarian- 
ism  would  not  have  saved  me." 

"  Such  testimony  interests  me  very  much,"  he 
answered,  "  especially  from  a  young  and  beautiful 
woman." 

Clover  colored  with  surprise  at  this  bluntness. 
She  need  not  have  shrunk.  Page  was  as  usual 


144  SWEET  CLOVER. 

making  an  impersonal  statement  as  nearly  accu 
rate  as  possible. 

"  I  have  not  a  particle  of  doubt,"  he  continued, 
"  that  there  is  a  world  of  causes,  and  that  ours  is 
a  world  of  effects.  Why  should  not  the  universe 
have  a  soul  as  well  as  the  human  body  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  only  you  do  not  state  it  well,"  returned 
Clover,  entering  into  his  spirit  of  analysis.  "  It  is 
not  the  body  that  has  the  soul,  but  the  soul  that 
has  the  body  and  will  be  through  with  it  after  a 
while." 

Page  bowed.  "I  agree  to  that.  I  believe  in 
immortality.  We  have  been  sent  upon  this  plane 
of  existence  ;  and  to  find  out  why  is  a  problem  of 
daily  interest." 

"  Yes.  Our  wishes  were  not  consulted  when  we 
came,  and  will  not  be  consulted  when  we  go.  It 
seems  evident  enough  to  me  that  we  are  being  sent 
to  school." 

"  Some  of  us  appear  to  learn  very  little,  though," 
remarked  Page. 

"  Some  of  us  are  set  one  lesson  many  times," 
answered  Clover  slowly,  "  until  we  learn  it.  The 
hand  must  be  unclasped  many  times  before  we 
learn  to  relax  our  rigid  hold  on  what  we  have  con 
sidered  our  own.  It  is  one  great  lesson  of  life,  I 
have  found,  to  learn  to  be  relaxed.  You  know 
how  much  is  said  now  by  physical  culturists  on 
the  subject  of  letting  go  abnormal  tension  of  the 
muscles  of  the  body.  Is  n't  the  correspondence  in 
teresting  ?  We  can  only  have  spiritual  self-posses- 


GORHAM  PAGE'S   COMMISSION.  145 

sion  when  we  relax  the  tension  of  our  own  wills 
and  let  the  divine  will  sway  us." 

"  We  are  free  agents,  though,"  objected  Page, 
"  and  we  must  behave  as  if  our  own  wills  were  all- 
powerful  ;  else  we  should  never  accomplish  any 
thing." 

"  Oh  yes,"  agreed  Clover  ;  "  but  if  one  is  firmly 
convinced  that  the  higher  Power  is  omniscient, 
there  is  all  the  time  an  undercurrent  of  acknow 
ledgment  that  one  is  being  directed,  and  it  becomes 
second  nature  to  ask  for  the  direction  in  all  sorts 
of  wordless  ways." 

"  You  believe  in  that  sort  of  Providence,  then  ?  " 
asked  Gorham  curiously.  "  I  believe  every  one 
has  a  God  —  his  own  God." 

"  Yes  ;  my  God  is  a  Father  who  thought  it  worth 
while  to  create  me,  and  therefore,  I  am  sure,  thinks 
it  worth  while  to  lead  me  through  all  the  ways  I 
am  to  traverse.  He  is  close  to  me  all  the  time. 
Whether  I  feel  that  I  am  close  to  Him,  depends 
entirely  on  myself." 

Page  regarded  the  speaker  a  moment  in  silence. 
Her  face  looked  near  to  heaven  then,  he  thought. 
"  Such  faith  comes  more  easily  to  women  than  to 
men,  apparently,"  he  said  at  last. 

"  Why  should  it  ?  How  strangely  people  behave 
and  talk,  or  rather  avoid  talking  of  spiritual  things 
as  if  such  subjects  were  superstitious.  I  suppose 
perhaps  it  is  because  I  have  had  so  many  dear 
ones  slip  away  into  the  other  world  that  it  seems 
so  real  to  me.  It  has  often  been  said  that  death 


146  SWEET  CLOVER. 

is  the  only  certain  event  which  we  can  count  on ; 
but  people  will  cease  to  shrink  from  it  only  when 
they  cease  to  think  of  it  as  death.  No  wonder  the 
love  of  life  is  strongly  implanted.  It  is  all  we 
need  look  forward  to.  The  loneliness  we  have  to 
suffer  here,"  Clover  paused  a  moment,  "  is  a  part 
of  the  schooling." 

"  You  have  made  good  use  of  your  experiences," 
observed  Page. 

"  Not  always,"  returned  the  other.  "  Neverthe 
less,  I  believe  that  is  the  chief  thing  we  have  to  do, 
—  to  learn  something  above  worldly  wisdom  from 
our  experiences  little  and  great." 

"  So  your  theory  regarding  success  and  failure 
would  simply  be  to  decide  its  real  nature  by  its 
spiritual  effect  on  a  man." 

"  Yes,"  Clover  smiled.  "  You  have  thought  of 
that  before  or  you  would  not  have  grasped  so 
quickly  what  I  meant." 

Her  visitor  nodded.  "  Yes,  I  have  had  a  simi 
lar  thought.  The  greatest  apparent  success  may 
amount  to  a  failure  if  it  make  a  man  more  arro 
gant  and  selfish  than  before  ;  and  the  most  dismal 
failure  is  a  success  if  only  it  brings  with  it  an  in 
terior  humility  and  willingness  to  be  taught." 

They  talked  another  quarter  of  an  hour  before 
Page  arose  and  took  his  leave.  He  left  his  com 
pliments  and  farewell  for  Miss  Bryant,  shook  hands 
with  Clover,  and  reached  the  door  of  the  room 
before  he  started  and  turned  back  with  sudden 
recollection. 


GORHAM  PAGE'S   COMMISSION.  147 

"Why  didn't  you  remind  me? "he  said  re 
proachfully.  "  I  have  n't  done  my  errand." 

Mrs.  Van  Tassel  smiled.  "  Priscilla's  part  was 
a  passive  one,  if  I  recollect  rightly." 

"  But  you  also  recollect  the  rough  temper  of 
Captain  Standish.  I  think  you  are  rather  cruel." 

"Oh,  failure  might  have  given  you  true  hu 
mility." 

"  I  make  plenty  of  failures,  thank  you.  Please 
don't  let  this  be  one  of  them,  and  don't  judge 
Jack's  intensity  of  interest  by  my  own.  May  I 
sit  down  once  more?"  Page  knotted  his  brow 
reminiscently.  "  Jack  outlined  a  plan  for  me.  He 
suggested  a  number  of  arguments  with  which  I 
was  to  lead  up  to  the  main  idea,  but  they  are  pretty 
well  muddled  in  my  brain  now."  Gorham  gave 
a  short,  desperate  laugh.  "  After  this  confession 
of  weakness,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel,  you  will  be  obliged, 
if  only  out  of  generosity,  to  send  me  back  with  a 
'  yes.'  Now,  let  me  see  ;  I  'm  confident  this  ought 
not  to  come  first,  but  Jack  wanted  me  to  say  that 
he  was  certain  that  Uncle  Richard  left  the  home 
stead  to  him  instead  of  to  you,  at  your  own  insti 
gation." 

Clover,  who  had  not  been  able  to  imagine  what 
was  coming,  acquiesced  gravely.  "  Mr.  Van  Tas 
sel  would  probably  have  acted  as  he  did  in  any 
case,  but  I  wanted  to  make  certain  that  Jack's 
dear  old  home  should  be  secured  to  him." 

"  It  humiliates  Jack  to  feel  that  you  avoid  the 
place  for  fear  he  might  go  there." 


148  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  This  is  an  unpleasant  errand  for  you,  Mr. 
Page." 

"  Please  don't  use  that  tone.  Jack  means  so 
well,  I  could  n't  refuse  to  be  the  go-between.  He 
asks,  he  even  begs,  that  if  you  intend  to  remain  in 
Chicago  now,  you  will  go  back  to  your  home.  It 
is  comfortable.  All  your  belongings  are  there. 
His  father  made  every  arrangement  for  you.  Jack 
feels  sure  he  would  be  grieved  to  have  you  leave  it. 
He  himself  is  going  back  to  Boston.  The  house 
keeper  is  alone  there  and  is  pining  for  you ;  I  for 
get  whether  that  was  to  be  an  argument,  but  the 
fact  remains.  Jack  thinks  it  would  save  a  lot  of 
talking  among  your  friends  if  you  were  to  go  on  in 
the  old  way.  Naturally,  he  has  no  use  for  such  a 
big  place.  It  would  be  too  lonely  to  endure  under 
the  circumstances,  and  it  is  hardly  the  thing  to 
leave  the  house  tenantless  year  after  year.  Of 
course  all  this  is  under  Jack's  supposition  that  you 
have  no  prejudice  against  the  home  as  a  home.  If 
that  is  false  "- 

"  No.     I  have  a  strong  attachment  for  the  local- 

O 

ity  and  the  house  itself.     Mildred  has  also." 

"  Then  you  will  say  yes  ;  and  I  will  promise  to 
take  my  success  as  meekly  as  you  could  desire." 

"  Shall  I  do  it,  Mr.  Page  ?  "  asked  Clover,  look 
ing  perplexed. 

"  By  all  means,  if  you  ask  me.  Here  is  the  Fair 
coming  on,  and  the  difficulties  of  suiting  one's 
self  in  a  home  in  Chicago  are  going  to  be  many,  I 
fancy." 


GORHAM  PAGE'S   COMMISSION.  149 

"  I  don't  want  to  think  of  that.  We  should  be 
able  to  find  a  comfortable  place." 

"Then  consider  that  suggestion  unmade,  and 
let  me  take  your  consent  to  Jack.  Do  you  still 
hesitate?" 

"Yes.  I  had  quite  made  up  my  mind  to  do 
without  Jack,  and  this  would  change  all  that." 

"Jack  does  not  at  all  wish  to  be  dispensed 
with." 

"  I  consider,"  said  Clover  with  grave  gentleness, 
"  that  I  owe  him  any  favor  he  chooses  to  claim ; 
but  it  seems  quixotic  on  his  part  to  call  this 
one." 

"  And  yet  he  does.  We  cannot  always  under 
stand  the  vagaries  of  youth,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel." 

"Jack  was  always  willful,"  she  returned,  smiling 
sadly.  "  Tell  him  I  thank  him,  Mr.  Page,  and 
that  Mildred  and  I  will  talk  it  over." 

An  hour  after  Gorham's  departure,  a  note  was 
brought  to  Clover.  It  was  from  Jack.  He  said :  — 

I  thank  you  for  considering  my  proposition.  I 
have  a  feeling  that  in  the  end  you  will  not  refuse 
me.  I  have  suffered  for  every  unjust  word  I  ever 
said  to  you,  Clover,  and  now  the  only  peace  pos 
sible  for  me  is  to  be  in  friendly  relations  with 
those  my  father  loved.  Only  when  you  are  liv 
ing  again  under  his  roof  shall  I  feel  that  I  have 
won  his  forgiveness  as  well  as  yours.  The  selfish 
jealousy  of  you  which  has  made  my  heart  sore  has 
gone,  and  gratitude  has  taken  its  place.  We  have 


150  SWEET  CLOVER. 

both  lived  long  in  two  years,  and  suffered  much. 
We  can  feel  for  each  other. 

Forgive  your  old  comrade,  JACK. 

Clover's  tears  fell  upon  this  abrupt  note,  and  her 
heart  went  out  to  her  friend.  She  did  not  need 
now  to  talk  the  matter  over  with  Mildred.  She 
had  decided  to  return  to  the  home  by  the  lake. 

Jack  went  back  to  Boston  without  seeing  her 
again ;  for  although  he  called,  the  sisters  were  both 
away. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MAY   DAY. 

WHAT  Chicagoan  will  ever  forget  the  winter 
of  '92  and  '93 !  It  was  as  though  the  elements 
had  joined  with  the  majority  who  frowned  down 
their  city's  audacious  effort.  The  newspapers  re 
corded  the  storms  and  their  damage.  What  an 
unthinkable  thing  it  was  to  undertake  a  World's 
Fair  in  such  a  climate !  Certainly  if  one  wanted 
an  allegory  of  discomfort  one  had  but  to  visit 
the  Garden  City  at  that  season,  and  witness  the 
teaming  through  torn-tip  streets,  the  building,  and 
the  elevating  of  railroad  tracks,  while  the  sense  of 
shortness  of  time  sent  men  to  labor  and  often  to 
die  in  exposed  places  when  the  mercury  was  lost 
below  the  zero  mark.  Roads  were  either  iron- 
bound,  or  deep  in  the  mud  of  a  thaw,  and  blizzards 
descended  furiously  upon  the  glass  portions  of  Ex 
position  structures,  destroying  in  an  hour  the  work 
of  weeks. 

As  the  first  of  May  approached,  more  stinging 
grew  the  criticisms  upon  the  authorities  who  had 
failed  to  have  the  Columbian  Exposition  entirely 
ready  to  keep  its  engagement :  but  though  on  the 
great  day  Chicago  was  still  in  an  undeniably 
uncomfortable  condition  of  unfinished  hotels  and 


152  SWEET  CLOVER. 

bad  weather,  the  White  City  rose  like  a  perfect 
superb  lily  from  its  defiling  mud,  and  the  great 
crowd  that  swarmed  into  Jackson  Park  on  the 
morning  of  May  1st  found  so  much  to  marvel  at 
that  they  were  good-natured  and  eager  under  a 
chill  gray  sky,  and  unmindful  of  the  clinging  soil 
into  which  they  sank  at  every  step. 

Jack  Van  Tassel  had  arrived  in  town  a  couple 
of  days  before,  and  after  registering  at  his  hotel 
had  called  immediately  at  his  old  home. 

The  girls  received  him  cordially,  although  he  was 
unexpected.  One  or  two  letters  had  passed  be 
tween  Clover  and  himself  during  the  winter,  and 
she  now  asked  him  to  leave  his  hotel  and  take  pos 
session  of  his  old  room.  He  declined  with  thanks, 
stating  that  his  plans  did  not  yet  permit  of  a  pro 
longed  stay  in  the  West,  and  that  it  would  not  be 
worth  while  to  make  the  change. 

"  I  am  afraid  he  saw  that  I  hesitated  when  I 
asked  him,"  said  Clover  to  her  sister  after  the  guest 
had  departed.  "  I  wish  we  had  known  that  he  was 
coming,  then  we  could  have  thought  the  matter  over 
and  arrived  at  a  decision.  I  really  did  n't  know 
whether  I  was  doing  a  proper  thing  or  not." 

Mildred,  who  had  seen  and  been  amused  by  her 
sister's  perplexity  all  through  the  call,  laughed 
mischievously. 

"  It  is  an  odd  thing  if  you  can't  invite  your  son 
to  visit  you,"  she  said. 

Clover  regarded  her  helplessly,  but  she  could 
not  help  smiling  too.  "  I  don't  know  whether  we 


MAY  DAY.  153 

should  be  outraging  conventionality  or  not,"  she 
repeated.  "  He  will  be  coming  back  again  in  a 
little  while.  If  only  Jeanie  had  n't  deserted  us. 
It  was  such  an  inconvenient  season  for  her  to  be 
overwhelmed  with  homesickness,  but  she  said  it 
was  the  first  time  that  she  had  not  been  really 
needed  here." 

"You  remind  me  of  lolanthe,"  said  Mildred 
wickedly.  "  I  could  n't  help  thinking  of  it  all  the 
time  Strephon  was  here."  And  then  she  sang :  - 

"  '  I  would  n't  say  a  word  that  could  be  construed  as  injurious, 
But  to  find  a  mother  younger  than  her  son  is  very  curious, 
And  that 's  the  sort  of  mother  who  is  usually  spurious  ; 
Tara  diddle,  tara  diddle,  tol  lol  lay.'  " 

The  color  rose  under  Clover's  clear  skin  as  she 
joined  reluctantly  in  her  sister's  laugh.  "  Perhaps 
we  had  better  procure  a  dragon,"  she  suggested. 

"  Oh,  wait  a  little,"  returned  Mildred,  loath  to 
alter  their  present  mode  of  life. 

But  Jack,  before  he  left,  had  agreed  to  call  for 
his  friends  on  the  morning  of  May  1st  to  take 
them  to  see  the  opening  exercises  in  the  new  city 
whose  completed  splendor  they  had  not  before 
beheld. 

The  three  walked  down  through  the  grounds 
in  the  dull  gray  weather,  and  joined  the  half  mil 
lion  of  souls  who  waited  in  the  Court  of  Honor 
to  see  President  Cleveland  touch  the  electric  but 
ton. 

Clover  gazed  at  the  white  magnificence  of  archi 
tecture,  and  felt  a  thrill  at  the  solemn  stillness  per- 


154  SWEET  CLOVER. 

vading  all,  which  the  fine  orchestral  music  only 
accented. 

"  It  seems  to  me  like  the  story  of  Galatea,"  she 
said  to  Jack.  "  We  are  waiting  to  see  the  breath 
of  life  breathed  into  the  statue." 

Van  Tassel  looked  down  the  Grand  Basin  to 
where  the  heroic  Republic  stood  veiled  in  white 
from  the  eyes  of  men.  The  low-hanging  sky  hung 
its  pall  above  all. 

"  I  think  the  button  may  start  the  clouds  as 
well  as  the  machinery,"  he  remarked.  "  They  look 
as  though  they  were  only  waiting  some  signal  to 
pour  down." 

"We  shall  need  a  shower-bath  to  put  out  the 
fires  of  our  enthusiasm,"  exclaimed  Mildred,  who 
looked  as  excited  as  she  felt.  "  Oh,  Jack,  are  n't 
you  glad  you  are  a  Chicagoan  ?  Are  n't  you  glad 
that  we  Ve  gathered  goldenrod  right  in  this  very 
spot  in  front  of  the  Administration  Building  ?  " 

Jack  protested  that  he  shared  this  subtle  joy 
fully  ;  and  at  the  moment  a  new  shiver  of  expec 
tation  passed  through  the  throng.  The  music  had 
ceased.  The  President  had  begun  to  speak.  It 
was  a  solemn  moment,  a  triumphant  moment, 
when  at  last  the  electric  button  was  pressed, 
hitherto  motionless  machinery  suddenly  throbbed, 
and  the  vast  pulses  of  the  stately,  statuesque 
White  City  began  to  beat. 

Clover  and  Mildred  unconsciously  clasped  hands, 
and  their  breath  came  fast  as  they  stood  facing 
the  majestic  Peristyle,  its  marble  columns  sur- 


MAY  DAY.  155 

mounted  by  the  solemn,  glad,  immortal  declara 
tion  :  "  Ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth 
shall  make  you  free." 

Jack  stood  beside  them,  his  head  bared  before 
this  beginning  of  a  new  era ;  for  at  the  touching 
of  the  signal,  down  fell  the  veil  from  the  golden 
Republic,  up  streamed  the  enormous  jets  of  water 
from  the  fountains ;  color  and  movement  thrilled 
along  the  roofs  of  the  snowy  palaces  ;  flags  of  all 
nations  unfurled  gayly  from  myriad  staffs ;  the 
boom  of  artillery  thundered  from  the  lake  side; 
and  as  the  multitude,  swayed  by  mighty  feeling, 
rent  the  air  with  cheers,  the  sun  burst  from  a 
cloud  and  blessed  the  scene  with  new  splendor. 
The  World's  Columbian  Exposition  had  opened. 

Van  Tassel  accepted  Clover's  invitation  to  din 
ner  that  afternoon  when  they  reached  home,  chilled 
with  much  standing  about  in  the  spring  wind. 

The  impersonal  common  interest  of  the  day  had 
done  much  toward  reestablishing  the  old  easy  rela 
tion  among  the  trio. 

"  So  Jeanie  felt  a  call  to  visit  her  own  kin,  did 
she  ?  "  said  Jack  as  they  sat  at  table.  "  She  is  so 
much  a  part  of  the  house  I  miss  her." 

"  Yes  ;  she  could  not  be  tempted  from  her  pro 
ject  even  by  the  prospect  of  the  Fair.  '  What 
do  I  want  with  the  Fair  ? '  she  asked  contemptu 
ously.  '  Chicago's  just  got  unbearable  since  they 
started  it.'  But  she  wanted  me  to  promise  to  take 
her  back  when  all  the  excitement  is  over  and  she 


156  SWEET  CLOVER. 

returns  to  America,"  said  Clover.  "  Of  course  we 
miss  her  very  much;  but  at  present  we  get  on 
finely." 

"  Yes,"  remarked  Mildred,  "  I  don't  know  that 
Jeanie  would  be  pleased  to  know  how  well.  I 
believe  she  was  right.  No  doubt  a  person  of  her 
sort  would  be  more  fatigued  than  interested  by 
the  Fair." 

"  I  was  wondering  this  morning,"  said  Jack, 
"  while  we  were  waiting  down  there,  what  Aunt 
Love  would  say  to  it  all." 

Clover  smiled.  "  I  think  Chicago  and  every 
thing  connected  with  it  seems  as  far  off  to  her  as 
the  Sandwich  Islands ;  "  but  as  she  spoke  a  novel 
thought  came  into  her  mind,  and  after  Jack  had 
gone  she  imparted  it  to  Mildred. 

"  I  have  had  a  brilliant  idea,"  she  announced. 

"  That  is  nothing  new,"  returned  her  sister. 
"  A  quarter,  please,"  holding  out  her  hand. 

Clover  loftily  ignored  both  the  compliment  and 
the  request  for  prompt  recompense. 

"  We  can't  selfishly  keep  this  comfortable  house 
just  for  our  own  two  selves  the  next  six  months." 

"  I  could,  just  as  easy,"  returned  Mildred  non 
chalantly,  dropping  into  an  armchair.  "  Are  n't 
you  glad  now  that  we  have  lived  a  life  of  resorts 
for  two  years,  and  are  not  under  obligations  to 
anybody  ?  Moreover,  that  we  have  n't  had  time 
to  make  any  intimate  friends  anywhere?  Why, 
everybody  we  know  here  has  either  rented  his 
house  and  fled,  or  is  wondering  how  servants  and 


MAY  DAY.  157 

expenses  are  to  be  managed  through  the  sum 
mer." 

Clover  looked  serious.  "  I  feel  that  we  ought  to 
do  exactly  what  Mr.  Van  Tassel  would  do  if  he 
were  alive." 

"  Yes,  that  is  so,"  agreed  Mildred  promptly ; 
"  but  I  don't  see  how  you  are  going  to  find  that 
out." 

"  Why,  it  is  perfectly  plain  that  he  would  enter 
tain  his  near  relatives." 

Mildred  raised  her  eyebrows  thoughtfully.  She 
began  to  sing  softly  again  from  Sullivan's  opera : 

'' '  To  say  she  is  his  mother  is  an  utter  bit  of  folly, 
Heigh-ho,  our  Strephon  is  a  rogue  ! 
Perhaps  his  brain  is  addled  and  it  's  very  melancholy, 
Tara  diddle  '"  — 

"  Stop  that  nonsensical  song." 

"  My  dear,  Gilbert  never  writes  any  nonsense. 
It  gives  me  the  utmost  pleasure  to  warble  his  lays. 
He  is  the  only  librettist  in  the  world  who  says  just 
what  he  wants  to  say,  and  it  happens  to  rhyme. 
Pardon  me  if  I  appeared  to  be  personal.  That 
was  another  happening.  So  you  think  you  ought 
to  have  sonny  at  home.  Anybody  else  ?  " 

"  Certainly.     Mr.  Page." 

Mildred  pursed  her  lips  into  a  noiseless 
whistle. 

"Mr.  Van  Tassel's  sister's  child,"  went  on  Clo 
ver  firmly.  "  He  has  a  right  to  expect  an  invita 
tion.  What  is  the  matter  ?  Don't  you  like  him  ?  " 

Mildred   made   her   favorite   grimace   of   faint 


158  SWEET  CLOVER. 

repugnance,  and  her  head  dropped  to  one  side. 
"I've  had  a  good  deal  of  him  by  proxy,"  she 
answered.  "  I  'm  very  much  afraid  he 's  a  worthy 
young  man." 

"Well,  what  of  it?" 

"  Oh,  you  know  I  can't  endure  worthy  young 
men,"  smiled  the  girl  provokingly. 

"Jack  says  he  is  a  noble  fellow,"  declared 
Clover  with  dignity. 

"  Of  course ;  but  alas,  if  that  was  only  one  of 
those  things  that  go  without  saying !  His  sister- 
in-law  adores  him  madly.  Well,  then  we  are  to 
have  sterling  cousin  Page.  Anybody  else  ?  It 
seems  to  me  you  are  drawing  about  us  a  possibly 
charming,  but  certainly  unconventional  family 
circle." 

"  No,  no.  There  are  the  other  Pages.  Of 
course  we  must  ask  the  married  brother,  just  as 
much  as  Gorham,  and  we  are  under  obligation  to 
Mrs.  Page  for  kindness  to  you." 

"  So  she  is  to  be  the  chaperone.  Is  it  your 
expectation  that  she  will  wish  to  stay  here  all 
summer  ?  What  a  perfect  goose  you  were,  Clover, 
not  to  have  your  bright  idea  before  you  let  Jeanie 
go.  After  you  have  thought  up  three  meals  a 
day  for  guests,  for  about  three  months,  your  opin 
ion  of  the  brilliance  of  that  idea  will  probably 
decline  and  fall." 

"  Just  wait,"  said  Clover  triumphantly.  "  You 
have  n't  even  heard  my  bright  thought  yet.  It  is 
Aunt  Love." 


MAY  DAY.  159 

Mildred  looked  into  her  beaming  eyes  uncom- 
prehendingly.  "It  is  nothing  to  me,"  continued 
Clover,  "  whether  Mrs.  Page  stays  one  week  or 
six.  I  am  going  to  ask  Aunt  Love  to  come  and 
take  Jeanie's  place  all  summer." 

"  Do  you  suppose  she  will  do  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do.  I  shall  ask  her,  anyway,  before 
one  day  more  passes  over  my  head,  —  that  is,  if 
you  agree,  Mildred." 

"  Oh,  if  I  agree ! "  repeated  the  latter  with 
light  scorn.  "  I  notice  you  did  n't  trouble  yourself 
to  consult  me  about  Strephon  and  cousin  Page." 

"  You  would  like  to  have  Aunt  Love,  of  course," 
persisted  Clover. 

"  Yes ;  but  she  must  be  sure  to  bring  Blitzen." 

There  was  only  one  subject  discussed  through 
out  the  length  and  breadth  of  Pearfield,  twenty- 
four  hours  after  Mrs.  Van  Tassel's  letter  reached 
Miss  Berry. 

Lovina  Berry  was  going  to  the  "World's  Fair. 
Pearfield  would  be  represented,  after  all.  It  was 
a  dangerous  undertaking.  Everybody  felt  that. 
The  postmaster  made  himself  quite  unpopular  by 
doubting  whether  Loviny  ran  more  risk  from 
desperate  characters  in  Chicago  than  she  would  in 
any  other  large  city ;  but  his  heretical  opinion  was 
accounted  for  by  a  well  known  contrariness  of 
nature. 

Many  and  solemn  were  the  leave-takings  and 
warnings  bestowed  upon  Miss  Berry  at  the  outset 


1GO  SWEET  CLOVER. 

of  her  pilgrimage.  She  was  somewhat  astonished 
herself  at  her  own  calmness  at  the  prospect. 

"  It  must  be  I  don't  sense  it,"  she  declared  as 
she  gave  her  lisle-thread  glove  a  parting  wave 
from  the  car  window.  She  had  planned  by  letter 
to  have  Gorham  Page  meet  her  in  Boston,  and 
take  her  to  an  inexpensive  boarding-house  where 
she  might  remain  until  she  was  fitted  out  for  her 
wonderful  trip. 

It  was  a  tired  and  harassed  woman  that  Page 
met  that  afternoon,  hugging  to  her,  as  she  stepped 
from  the  car,  a  straining,  excited,  furry  bundle 
that  jumped  eagerly  to  the  end  of  his  chain  as  she 
permitted  him  to  leap  down. 

"  Such  a  time  as  I  've  had  this  day,"  she  ejac 
ulated.  "  I  guess  I  've  broke  most  o'  the  laws 
ever  made  by  God  and  man.  By  good  luck  I 
knew  the  conductor,  —  he  came  from  near  our 
place,  and  he,  seein'  that  Blitzen  rampaged  dread 
ful  in  the  baggage-car,  let  me  hold  him  in  my 
lap.  I  lost  my  temper  before  I  'd  been  out  o' 
Pearfield  half  an  hour,  and  I  have  n't  found  it 
since.  I'm  just  tuckered  out.  Miss  Bryant 
made  a  great  point  o'  my  bringin'  Blitzen,  but  law, 
before  I  'd  have  the  care  o'  him  from  here  to  Chi 
cago  I'd  give  up  the  whole  undertakin'."  Miss 
Berry  looked  anxiously  at  the  dog  as  he  bobbed 
about  at  the  end  of  his  tether  as  though  to 
expend  the  energy  stored  in  his  lively  legs  during 
hours  of  inaction.  "I  don't  know  how  I  could 
leave  him  in  Boston,"  she  added,  "  and  yet " 


MAY  DAY.  161 

Page  smiled.  "  You  know  very  well  if  you  left 
him  he  would  walk  on  the  ties  to  Chicago.  Don't 
worry,  Aunt  Love,  I  '11  send  him  safely  for  you. 
You  shall  not  have  any  trouble." 

Miss  Berry  looked  half  hopeful,  half  incredu 
lous. 

"Yes,  by  express.  It  will  be  all  right,"  and 
Page  held  open  the  door  of  a  cab,  into  which  Miss 
Berry  stepped  with  the  nervous  and  astonished 
Blitzen  again  caught  in  her  strong  clasp. 

"  I  have  n't  thanked  you  a  word,"  she  said 
when  the  horse  had  started,  "  but  you  can't  think 
what  a  help  it 's  been  to  me  to  have  you  manage 
about  the  boardin'  place  and  all." 

"  Hilda  would  n't  hear  to  your  going  anywhere 
but  straight  to  her,"  returned  Gorham. 

"  Oh,  that  is  too  much,"  exclaimed  Miss  Lo- 
vina,  flushing  with  pleasure;  and  the  warm  wel 
come  she  received  when  she  arrived  at  Mrs.  Page's 
dainty  apartment  completed  her  relief  from  care 
and  embarrassment. 

"  I  'm  sure  you  never  counted  on  Blitzen,"  Miss 
Berry  said  anxiously,  in  return  to  her  hostess's 
greeting. 

"  But  I  am  glad  to  see  him,"  responded  Hilda. 
"It  is  well  known  that  a  dog  who  can  wag  his 
tail  can  knock  over  lots  of  valuables  in  a  flat,  but 
Blitzen  is  a  safe  and  welcome  guest." 

"  We  '11  let  him  run  in  the  street  all  he  wants 
to.  Perhaps  he'll  get  lost,"  said  Miss  Lovina, 
regarding  the  small  animal  darkly  in  spite  of  the 


162  SWEET  CLOVER. 

confiding  and  questioning  gaze  he  was  bending 
upon  her,  as  though  begging  to  understand  to 
day's  erratic  movements. 

"  Much  more  likely  to  be  stolen,"  remarked 
Gorham.  "  I  had  better  send  him  on  to  Chicago 
very  soon." 

Mrs.  Page  proved  of  great  assistance  to  Miss 
Berry  in  adding  the  right  articles  of  dress  to  her 
wardrobe,  and  completing  her  preparations.  It 
was  with  a  light  heart  that  Aunt  Love  finally 
shook  hands  with  Page  after  he  had  settled  her 
comfortably  in  her  section  of  the  Chicago  train, 
and  when  the  latter  glided  slowly  and  smoothly 
from  the  station,  Miss  Berry  leaned  back  in  the 
cushioned  seat  and  felt  happy  though  excited. 
She  had  never  been  in  a  sleeping-car  before,  and 
every  convenience  about  her  excited  her  wonder 
and  admiration. 

She  was  traveling  at  Mrs.  Van  Tassel's  ex 
pense,  and  simply  followed  the  explicit  directions 
Page  had  given  her ;  so  she  went  into  the  dining- 
car  for  her  meals,  a  proceeding  which  filled  her 
with  wonder.  Her  practical  soul  yearned  to 
examine  the  compact  kitchen  arrangements. 

Gorham  had  charged  the  porter  to  attend  to  her 
wants,  accompanying  the  exhortation  with  the  only 
sort  of  persuasion  which  appeals  to  the  species, 
and  innocent  Aunt  Love  was  in  consequence 
gratefully  impressed  by  her  new  friend's  assiduous 
attentions. 

There  is  no  denying  that  the  gentleman  of  color 


MAY  DAY.  163 

had  something  to  endure  from  the  time  the  train 
crossed  the  last  state  line  and  entered  Illinois. 
It  had  been  impressed  upon  Miss  Berry  that  she 
was  to  alight  at  Hyde  Park,  and  her  porter  earned 
the  money  Mr.  Page  had  given  him  before  that 
station  was  reached. 

"  You  don't  want  to  get  out  till  you  've  passed 
the  World's  Fair,"  he  said  at  last  in  desperation  ; 
and  Miss  Lovina  clung  to  this  definite  clue  with 
such  concentration  that  when  the  usual  stentorian 
announcement  was  made  —  "  World's  Fair  Build 
ings  on  the  right,"  she  scarcely  cast  a  glance 
toward  the  labyrinth  of  roofs  and  domes,  but 
clasped  the  handles  of  her  bag  and  shawl-strap, 
and  sat  on  the  extreme  edge  of  the  seat. 

Soon  the  porter  arrived,  took  possession  of  Miss 
Berry's  belongings,  and  in  another  minute  she 
stood  on  the  platform,  where  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  and 
Miss  Bryant  met  her  with  open  arms. 

At  least  one  of  Mildred's  hands  was  extended 
in  welcome.  The  other  kept  firm  hold  of  a  chain 
to  which  Blitzen  was  attached.  Instantly  the 
little  dog's  leaps  and  grins  monopolized  the  atten 
tion  of  all  three.  He  whined,  he  actually  howled 
in  the  fullness  of  his  joy  at  finding  the  mistress  he 
had  despaired  of  seeing  again. 

"  For  gracious  sake !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Berry, 
much  embarrassed.  "  There,  there ;  "  she  stooped 
and  patted  the  terrier  sparingly.  "  Yes,  here 's 
my  trunk-check,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel.  My,  but  you 
do  look  well,  child.  For  pity's  sake,  Miss  Mil- 


164  SWEET   CLOVER. 

dred,  take  the  chain  off'n  that  dog,  and  maybe  he 
won't  trip  me  up.     Be  still,  can't  you  ?  " 

Mildred  laughed  as  she  stooped  and  unfastened 
the  hook  from  the  smart  new  collar  which  had 
gilded  Blitzen's  misery  since  his  arrival.  "  Yes, 
he  will  not  need  chains  now,"  she  answered ;  "  but 
we  have  had  to  keep  him  a  prisoner  for  fear  he 
might  go  back  to  Boston.  It  would  have  been 
such  a  pity  for  you  to  cross  each  other  on  the 
way." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CLOVER'S  INVITATION. 

THOSE  who  wished  to  continue  to  point  out  the 
defects  in  Chicago  and  her  Fair  had  ample  oppor 
tunity  through  a  large  part  of  the  month  of  May. 
It  was  indeed  Chicago's  Fair  then ;  no  one  else 
claimed  it.  The  exhibits  were  not  all  in  place, 
the  electric  effects  were  not  complete,  the  weather 
was  cold,  Orientals  had  to  wear  American  over 
coats  above  their  white  gowns,  and  they  sneezed 
lugubriously  under  their  turbans.  The  pleasantest 
spots  in  the  White  City  at  that  season  were  the 
open  fires  in  the  dignified  or  dainty  club-houses 
known  as  State  buildings.  Only  the  Eskimos 
were  really  comfortable,  and  some  of  those  poor 
women  wished  the  incoming  and  outgoing  visitor 
would  not  allow  the  northeast  wind  continuous 
entrance  to  their  homes. 

But  the  month  was  nearly  out  by  the  time  Miss 
Berry  arrived  in  Chicago.  It  was  the  beginning  of 
that  marvelous  summer  whose  weather  every  Chi- 
cagoan  will  always  proudly  consider  an  exhibit 
worthy  to  be  ranked  with  any  wonder  it  shone 
upon.  The  natural  elements,  like  the  human  ones, 
gradually  admitted  that  the  Columbian  Exposition 
was  not  only  a  worthy  but  an  overwhelming  sue- 


166  SWEET  CLOVER. 

cess,  and  in  place  of  buffeting  wind  and  destructive 
storm,  sent  week  after  week  a  warm  blue  sky  and 
a  cool  east  breeze  to  add  the  crowning  charm  to 
the  White  City's  bewildering  loveliness. 

Had  the  human  element  been  as  prompt  in  suc 
cumbing,  thousands  of  those  who  strove  in  the  mad 
ding  crowd  of  October  might  have  reveled  instead 
in  the  fresh  beauty  of  June ;  but  the  general  confi 
dence  had  not  yet  been  gained.  The  same  journal 
which  had  pictured  the  vulgar  young  city  vocif 
erating  for  the  World's  Fair  bouquet  had  not  yet 
declared  that  it  took  off  its  hat  to  Chicago,  adding 
that  all  other  shows  bore  the  relation  to  the  Colum 
bian  Exposition  which  Jersey  City  did  to  Imperial 
Rome.  A  comparatively  small  army  of  explorers 
came  from  the  East  as  yet,  to  spy  out  the  land  and 
carry  back  reassuring  reports  to  their  skeptical  or 
timid  friends. 

Miss  Berry,  in  her  comfortable,  novel  quarters, 
was  from  the  first  charmed  with  her  surroundings. 
The  bright  bracing  air,  the  frequent  tally-ho 
coaches  that  passed  the  door,  their  scarlet-coated 
buglers  piping  with  cheerful  unsteadiness,  the  ex 
panse  of  tumbling  blue-green  water  that  constantly 
gladdened  her  eyes,  all  seemed  as  festive  as  the  fine 
house  which  was  her  temporary  home.  She  enjoyed 
the  playing  of  the  orchestra  every  morning  on  the 
piazza  of  an  adjacent  hotel,  and  was  soon  able  to 
hum  "  After  the  Ball,"  that  unavoidable,  omnipres 
ent  accompaniment  of  the  World's  Fair  summer. 

Only  one  thing  puzzled  her  for  the  first  few  days 


CLOVERS  INVITATION.  167 

after  her  arrival,  and  this  perplexity  she  set  at  rest 
one  cool  evening,  by  watching  her  opportunity  and 
walking  clandestinely  to  the  sands  at  the  back  of 
the  Chicago  Beach  Hotel.  Here  she  stooped  to 
the  water's  edge,  dipped  her  finger  in  an  incoming 
wave  and  transferred  it  to  her  mouth.  Tasting  it 
critically,  she  looked  thoughtful,  and  after  a  mo 
ment  repeated  the  operation. 

" 1  suppose  I  've  got  to  believe  it,"  she  murmured, 
rising.  "  T  ain't  salt." 

The  more  cultivated  and  traveled  one  was,  the 
more  wonderful  and  beautiful  the  White  City 
seemed  to  him.  Upon  a  woman  of  Miss  Berry's 
narrow  worldly  experience,  its  unique  characteristics 
dawned  but  slowly.  For  some  weeks  it  is  quite 
certain  that  the  housekeeping  duties  which  Clover 
at  once  placed  in  her  hands  were  more  attractive 
to  the  good  woman  than  the  marvels  which  lay  so 
near  her.  She  was  not  insensible  to  the  privilege 
of  being  within  walking  distance  of  Jackson  Park, 
and  now  and  then  she  made  pilgrimages  thither. 

"  It 's  somethin'  like  knowin'  there 's  a  big  plum 
puddin'  standin'  near  by,  and  that  whenever  I  want 
to,  I  can  go  and  pull  out  a  plum ; "  she  said ;  "but 
law !  it  would  take  a  whole  lifetime  to  see  what 
they  've  got  down  there,  and  every  time  I  go  I  real 
ize  it  more." 

Clover  carried  out  her  hospitable  intention  as 
soon  as  Aunt  Love  was  fairly  domesticated ;  and 
one  morning  a  letter  from  her  was  handed  to  Mrs. 
Page  at  her  breakfast-table. 


168  SWEET   CLOVER. 

Her  family  had  just  been  talking  about  the 
World's  Fair,  and  Jack  had  been  answering  ques 
tions  concerning  the  best  locality  in  which  to  secure 
accommodations. 

"There  is  nothing  like  having  an  ardent  Chi- 
cagoan  in  the  house  to  make  one  attend  to  these 
matters  in  time,"  remarked  Mrs.  Page. 

"  I  am  very  much  afraid  you  will  find  you  are 
not  in  time,"  returned  Jack  discouragingly.  His 
advice,  given  a  couple  of  months  before,  had  not 
been  heeded,  and  he  now  proceeded  to  state  a 
series  of  facts  and  figures  which  were  rather  ap 
palling. 

"  You  will  have  to  do  something  about  it,  Jack," 
remarked  Mrs.  Page's  husband,  who  is  not  so  des 
ignated  on  account  of  any  inferiority.  He  was  a 
stout,  sandy-haired  individual  with  a  good  diges 
tion  and  disposition,  who  was  accustomed  to  allow 
Hilda  and  Gorham  to  think  for  him  in  all  matters 
not  related  to  the  wholesale  dry-goods  business  in 
which  he  was  engaged.  "  You  say  we  ought  to  see 
the  Exposition,"  he  went  on  placidly,  "and  it  is 
your  affair,  in  the  interests  of  hospitality,  to  tell  us 
where  in  —  Chicago  we  can  find  the  proper  quar 
ters." 

"  I  impressed  upon  you  some  time  ago  that  you 
ought  to  attend  to  it,"  returned  Jack  rather  stiffly. 
The  air  of  lightness  and  condescension  with  which 
his  cousin  always  treated  the  subject  of  the  Fair 
grated  upon  him. 

"  Yes,  he  did,  you  know,  Robert,"  declared  Mrs. 


CLOVER'S  INVITATION.  169 

Page,  always  inclining,  like  most  of  Jack's  fem 
inine  friends,  to  side  with  him. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  the  arrival  of  the 
mail  created  a  diversion,  and  Hilda  opened  Clover's 
letter. 

She  glanced  down  its  pages.  "  Why,  how  lovely  ! 
How  kind ! "  she  ejaculated  from  time  to  time. 
"Listen  to  this.  You  are  all  interested.  It  is 
from  Mrs.  Van  Tassel." 

MY  DEAR  MRS.  PAGE,  —  I  have  been  wishing 
for  some  days  to  find  the  right  moment  in  which  to 
thank  you  for  your  kindness  both  to  Aunt  Love 
and  me  in  rendering  her  so  much  assistance  in  com 
ing  to  us.  She  seems  happy  and  at  home  already. 
I  am  the  more  pleased  to  have  secured  her  that  it 
makes  it  easy  for  me,  in  the  absence  of  my  old 
housekeeper,  to  entertain  guests  during  the  com 
ing  eventful  summer.  I  hope  you  and  your  hus 
band  have  not  already  committed  yourselves  to 
another  plan  for  seeing  the  Fair,  for  our  house  is 
most  conveniently  situated,  and  my  sister  and  I 
would  be  pleased  to  have  you  come  to  us.  Will 
you  extend  my  invitation  to  your  brother  as  well? 
As  for  Jack,  it  is  not  necessary,  I  am  sure,  for  me 
to  write  a  separate  invitation  to  him.  His  room 
is  ready  for  him,  and  I  count  upon  his  taking  pos 
session  of  it  for  as  long  a  time  as  he  can  make  it 
convenient.  Indeed,  I  wish  you  all  four  to  choose 
your  own  times  and  seasons  for  coming,  for  I  have 
no  plan  to  entertain  any  one  else,  and  I  beg  you 


170  SWEET  CLOVER. 

to  consider  the  house  always  open  to  you,  and  a 
sincere  welcome  always  ready. 

Mildred  wishes  me  to  send  you  her  love,  and  we 
both  hope  soon  to  receive  favorable  word  of  your 
plans.  Cordially  yours, 

CLOVEK  B.  VAN  TASSEL. 

Mrs.  Page,  upon  finishing,  let  her  pleased  gaze 
rove  from  one  to  another  of  her  three  companions. 
Jack's  face  was  eager  and  happy,  Gorham's  in 
terested,  but  her  husband  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  I  foresee  that  I  am  going  to  fall  in  love  with 
that  woman,"  he  remarked,  breaking  open  his 
third  muffin  and  handing  his  cup  to  the  maid  for 
a  second  cup  of  coffee.  "  That  is  a  charming 
letter." 

"Just  an  ordinary  Chicago  production,"  said 
Jack  exultantly.  "  What  do  you  say,  old  Reli 
able  ?  "  he  added,  turning  toward  Gorham. 

"  We  are  in  great  luck,"  returned  the  latter. 

"  Now,  I  will  admit,"  said  Jack,  "  that  I  have 
been  trying  to  provide  for  us  all  at  the  Chicago 
Beach;  but  I  will  cease  my  struggles  gratefully." 

"When  do  you  want  to  go,  Hilda?"  asked 
Robert  Page. 

"  When  can  you  go,  is  a  more  pertinent  ques 
tion,"  she  answered. 

"  July  will,  I  suppose,  be  the  best  time. 
Would  it  be  heresy,  Jack,  to  inquire  if  the  ther 
mometer  in  Chicago  rises  above  sixty-five  degrees 
in  July  ?  I  have  understood  that  it  does." 


CLOVER'S  INVITATION.  171 

"  I  know  of  no  city  in  the  country  where  there 
is  no  hot  weather  in  summer,"  returned  Jack 
shortly.  "  Chicago  is,  however,  a  summer  resort." 

"I  suppose  you  mean  a  place  where  summer 
resorts.  That  is  what  I  have  heard." 

"Perhaps  you  would  better  not  risk  your  life 
there." 

"  Tut,  tut,  my  boy.  I  am  going  to  see  the 
writer  of  that  whole-souled  letter." 

Jack,  who  had  already  excused  himself  from  the 
table,  here  left  the  room  without  deigning  a 
reply,  and  Mrs.  Page  immediately  looked  toward 
her  brother. 

"  What  do  you  think,  Gorham  ?  Of  course 
this  is  a  delightful  invitation,  but  ought  we  to 
accept  it?" 

"  I  don't  quite  see  your  objection,"  he  answered. 

"  It  is  charming  of  Mrs.  Van  Tassel,  but  it  is 
so  evidently  a  sense  of  duty  which  impels  her  to 
give  such  an  invitation  to  a  mere  acquaintance 
like  me,  and  a  stranger  like  Robert." 

"  Look  here,"  remarked  the  latter,  looking  up 
vaguely.  "  I  don't  think  I  want  any  flaws  picked 
in  that  invitation." 

"  Now  you  keep  still,  Robert,  like  a  dear.  You 
don't  know  her  at  all,  and  Gorham  does.  She  is 
just  doing  this  in  Uncle  Richard's  name  ;  I  know 
it,  and  I  am  not  willing  to  impose  upon  her." 

"  May  I  see  the  letter  once  again  ? "  asked 
Gorham. 

"  Certainly ;  "  Mrs.  Page  handed  it  to  him  with 


172  SWEET  CLOVER. 

alacrity.  He  read  it  through  from  beginning  to 
end.  It  sounded  like  Clover.  He  could  hear  her 
pleasant  voice  in  every  phrase. 

"She  is  a  thoughtful,  deliberate  sort  of  per 
son,"  he  said  as  he  handed  the  letter  back.  "  What 
ever  her  motive  is,  it  is  a  sufficient  one,  and  one 
thing  that  would  influence  me  to  advise  you  to 
accept  is  the  effect  on  Jack.  Their  relations  have 
been  a  little  strained,  and  I  think  it  would  make 
things  still  pleasanter  than  they  are  now,  if  Mrs. 
Van  Tassel  and  Miss  Bryant  were  to  become  bet 
ter  acquainted  with  his  people." 

"  Yes,  that  is  what  I  think,"  remarked  Mr.  Page  ; 
but  his  wife  frowned  upon  him. 

"  You,  and  Robert,  and  Jack,  go,"  continued 
Gorham.  "  I  won't.  That  would  be  rather  too 
much  of  a  good  thing ;  but  I  can  get  a  room  at 
the  Beach  Hotel,  and  that  is  near  by.  I  propose 
to  spend  a  good  deal  of  time  at  the  Fair.  I  want 
to  go  through  it  with  some  degree  of  thoroughness. 
Of  course  no  one  will  really  see  half  of  it.  I  un 
derstand  that,  giving  one  minute  to  each  exhibit,  it 
is  estimated  that  it  would  take  thirty-two  years  for 
a  man  to  get  around." 

His  brother  groaned.     He  was  stout  and  not  en- 

O 

ergetic  save  in  the  matter  of  wholesale  dry-goods. 

"  Thank  Heaven  it  won't  take  thirty-two  years 
to  see  Mrs.  Van  Tassel,"  he  remarked  devoutly. 

There  were  no  doubts  or  scruples  in  Jack's  mind 
as  to  accepting  his  invitation,  at  least  for  the  pres 
ent.  Indeed,  this  reconciliation  between  himself 


CLOVER'S  INVITATION.  173 

and  the  Bryants,  as  he  still  often  found  himself 
calling  his  old  friends,  altered  the  whole  trend  of  his 
life.  He  felt  a  new  satisfaction  in  living  ;  a  new 
desire  for  home ;  a  willingness  which  amounted  to 
necessity  to  shake  the  dust  of  Boston  from  his  feet, 
and  once  more  to  make  of  Chicago  a  permanent 
abiding-place.  His  sense  of  loneliness,  an  aching 
one  still  at  times,  abated.  His  own  place  waited 
for  him.  The  friendship  of  these  cousins,  kind  and 
helpful  in  their  way,  could  never  be  to  him  like  that 
of  those  girls,  the  only  sisters  he  had  ever  known, 
who  had  so  long  divided  with  him  his  father's  af 
fection  and  care.  He  was  going  home.  It  was  the 
first  sensation  of  the  sort  that  he  had  had  for 
years. 

He  did  not  try  to  conceal  his  satisfaction  from 
Mrs.  Page  when  he  said  to  her  his  au  revoir.  He 
expressed  sincere  gratitude  for  her  kindness  and 
hospitality,  but  she  saw  that  he  was  not  sorry  to 
have  no  plan  for  returning  to  Boston,  and  felt  a 
little  piqued  despite  Jack's  enthusiasm  over  the 
plan  which  would  soon  make  them  a  reunited  fam 
ily  party. 

"  I  have  not  seen  Jack  so  gay  since  Uncle  Rich 
ard  died,"  she  said  that  night  to  Gorham. 

"  No.  His  alienation  from  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  and 
her  sister  has  worried  him  a  good  deal,  I  know," 
responded  Page.  "  This  final  burial  of  the  hatchet 
must  be  a  great  relief  to  a  fellow  so  sensitive  as 
Jack  is." 

But  this  explanation  was  not  sufficient  to  account 


174  SWEET  CLOVER. 

to  Mrs.  Page  for  Van  Tassel's  jubilant  spirits.  He 
had  not  sprung  up  three  stairs  at  a  time,  and  whis 
tled  and  sung  over  his  packing,  just  because  of 
obtaining  the  forgiveness  of  two  young  women 
whose  feelings  he  had  outraged. 

"  Men  are  stupid,"  she  soliloquized.  "  I  know 
that  Jack  is  in  love." 

With  this  truly  feminine  solution  of  her  cousin's 
conduct  she  was  the  better  satisfied  because  she 
would  so  soon  have  opportunity  of  verifying  her 
own  perspicacity  by  ocular  proof.  But  her  diag 
nosis  would  have  been  a  surprise  to  Jack.  No 
lover-like  haste  mingled  with  the  impatience  he 
felt  at  the  lateness  of  his  train  on  the  June  after 
noon  when  he  reached  Chicago ;  and  when  finally 
he  found  himself  on  the  familiar  home  street,  even 
its  unfamiliarity  seemed  representative  of  the  plea 
sant  new  state  of  things  which  had  come  into  his 
life.  His  flying  visit  during  the  bad  weather  of 
six  weeks  before  had  not  shown  the  old  neighbor 
hood  in  its  present  finished  condition. 

Van  Tassel  smiled  as  a  coach  and  six  rattled  by 
him,  the  notes  of  its  "  mellow  horn  "  breaking  in 
impertinently  upon  the  strains  of  an  orchestra  at 
the  adjacent  fashionable  hotel.  "  Can  this  be  quiet 
little  Hyde  Park  ?  "  he  asked  himself. 

How  the  long  June  evenings  of  his  boyhood  came 
back  to  him  as  he  sauntered  down  the  changed 
street !  How  the  thrushes  used  to  sing  here  at  this 
hour !  How  the  boys  and  girls  who  could  muster 
anything  to  navigate,  from  a  scow  to  a  trim  canoe 


CLOVER'S  INVITATION.  175 

or  sailboat,  used  to  launch  their  craft,  early  in 
these  long  evenings,  and  sometimes  lashing  the 
boats  together,  a  dozen  in  a  row,  would  drift  over 
the  rocking  waves  and  sing  by  the  hour  beneath  a 
moon  which  electricity  had  not  yet  forced  out  of 
a  long-established  business ! 

The  wild  shore  was  changed,  cultivated,  and 
trimmed  into  order  according  to  fashion  now,  like 
the  young  people  who  once  disported  over  it  in 
free  country  fashion. 

Jack  could  not  whistle  the  scrap  from  "  Carmen" 
against  the  insistent  rhythm  of  "  After  the  Ball " 
which  was  being  performed  by  a  uniformed  func 
tionary  from  the  hotel  who  passed  him  under  the 
old  familiar  elms. 

But  Clover  was  on  the  piazza  to  meet  him,  a 
gracious  genius  of  home  in  her  blue  gown,  with 
the  welcoming  light  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  told  you  not  to  stay  for  me,"  said  Jack,  com 
ing  up  the  steps,  his  hat  in  his  hand. 

"  I  know,"  returned  Clover,  looking  down  into 
his  happy,  handsome  face.  "  I  stayed  for  my  own 
sake  as  well  as  yours.  I  have  been  at  the  Fair  all 
clay,  and  did  not  feel  like  going  down  this  evening. 
Mildred  went  from  town  with  the  Ogdens  on  their 
drag  to  take  supper  in  Old  Vienna.  She  wished 
me  to  give  you  an  extra  shake  of  the  hand  for 
her." 

"  Thank  you,  Clover,"  he  answered,  and  he  held 
her  hand  a  moment  as  they  interchanged  a  look 
that  had  in  it  reminiscence,  but  reminiscence  from 


176  SWEET  CLOVER. 

which  all  bitterness  was  gone.  The  sweet  sum 
mer  air  seemed  throbbing  with  their  love  for  him 
with  whom  every  part  of  this  home  was  connected. 

Miss  Berry  appeared  at  the  house  door.  She 
started  at  the  pretty  tableau  she  saw,  and  the  pure 
white  Christmas  when  she  pleaded  for  this  woman 
with  a  heart-sore  man  passed  like  a  vision  across 
the  fair  June  scene. 

She  would  have  withdrawn,  but  Van  Tassel  saw 
her.  "  How  do  you  do,  Aunt  Love  ?  "  he  said,  and 
then  she  came  forward  to  return  his  cordial  greet 
ing. 

"  Isn't  this  a  queer  thing,  for  me  to  be  in  Chi 
cago,  Mr.  Jack  ?  " 

"  It  is  just  as  it  should  be,"  he  returned.  "  Now 
when  we  get  Gorham  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Page  here, 
we  shall  be  a  complete  party." 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Page  promise  me  July,"  said 
Clover,  "  but  your  cousin  Gorham  seems  to  think 
he  would  better  stay  at  the  hotel.  We  won't  quar 
rel  with  him  at  this  distance."  She  smiled. 
"  Well,  Jack,  will  you  go  upstairs  ?  Is  it  to  be 
hammock  or  Fair  this  evening  ?  " 

"  I  can  scarcely  wait  till  to-morrow  for  the  Fair, 
yet  I  don't  like  to  leave  you  at  once." 

"  Don't  mind  that.  I  should  enjoy  seeing  your 
first  view,  and  should  have  saved  myself  for  to-night 
except  that  I  could  not  escape  personally  conduct 
ing  a  friend  to-day  who  was  very  kind  to  us  last 
year." 

"  Come  in  and  eat  something  first,  Mr.  Jack," 


CLOVER'S  INVITATION.  177 

said  Miss  Berry,  so  anxiously  that  Van  Tassel 
laughed. 

"  I  am  sure,  Aunt  Love,  if  I  have  the  good  luck 
to  meet  you  in  heaven,  the  first  thing  you  will  do 
will  be  to  urge  upon  me  some  manna  or  angel's 
food,  or  whatever  may  be  on  the  bill  of  fare." 

"  Hush,  child.  Come  straight  in,  for  daylight  is 
precious." 

"  Thank  you,  but  I  knew  that,  and  so  I  took 
lunch  in  the  train.  I  expected  only  to  carom  on 
the  house  as  it  were,  and  then  make  a  bee-line  for 
the  great  show.  We  did  have  the  first  view  of  it 
together,  Clover,  you  know." 

The  dimple  dipped  in  Clover's  cheek  just  as  of 
old.  "  It  will  seem  different  to  you  to-night,"  she 
answered.  "  That  was  impressive  and  solemn  ;  but 
now  —  No,  I  won't  be  so  foolish  as  to  try  to  de 
scribe  what  is  incomparable.  I  will  only  say,  Go. 
You  will  be  grateful  for  whatever  feeble  stand 
ards  of  comparison  you  have  gained  by  travel." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    COURT    OF    HONOR. 

JACK  jumped  into  a  Beach  wagon  as  it  rolled 
along  from  the  hotel,  and  drove  down  East  End 
Avenue,  approaching  the  gigantic  failure  known 
as  the  Spectatorium,  whose  bulky,  half-clothed 
skeleton  upreared  against  the  sky  like  a  type  of 
blighted  hope. 

Following  Clover's  advice,  he  entered  the  Park 
at  the  Fifty-seventh  Street  entrance.  A  band  was 
playing  on  its  aerial  perch  above  the  Eskimo  vil 
lage,  and  Jack  smiled  to  hear  the  gay,  assured 
strains  of  "  After  the  Ball "  soaring  above  a  vig 
orous  drum  accompaniment.  He  walked  across 
the  bridge  and  looked  down  where  the  Eskimos 
in  their  white  robes  with  the  peaked  hoods  pro 
pelled  their  slender  canoes  noiselessly  amid  the 
darkening  shadows  of  the  willows. 

Straight  before  him  to  Michigan's  brink  stretched 
an  electric-lighted  avenue,  flanked  on  one  side  by 
State  buildings,  and  on  the  other  by  that  lion- 
guarded  Greek  Palace  of  Art  whose  columns,  even 
pictured,  send  a  thrill  of  grateful  delight  to  the 
hearts  of  those  who  have  passed  within  its  portals. 

The  fresh  verdure  of  the  lawns  showed  living- 
green,  as  Jack  passed  on  to  the  right  until  he 


THE  COURT  OF  HONOR.  179 

gained  the  waterside  of  the  Art  Building,  and 
there  paused  to  gaze  across  at  the  edifices  on  the 
opposite  shores.  Towers  and  domes  of  all  shapes 
and  sizes  showed  amid  the  June  foliage.  Every 
beauty  of  form  and  tint  surrounded  him,  divided 
by  broad  spaces  of  rippling  water.  He  was  in  a 
city  of  preternatural  loveliness.  What  wonder 
that  a  noiseless  boat  came  gliding  to  his  feet  in 
answer  to  his  wish  to  explore  these  distant,  fairy 
vistas.  He  stepped  within,  and  silently  the  little 
craft  sped  on. 

The  white  loveliness  of  Brazil,  the  alabaster 
lace  work  of  the  poetical  Fisheries,  —  Van  Tassel 
glanced  over  his  shoulder  as  they  were  left  behind, 
and  in  a  minute  more  the  lofty,  winged  angels  of 
the  Woman's  Building  blessed  his  sight. 

The  dainty  conceits  of  Puck  and  the  White  Star 
melted  from  his  vision  to  make  way  for  the  glories 
of  the  Horticultural  treasure  house,  surmounted 
by  its  illuminated  crystal  dome.  Lilies,  red,  yel 
low,  and  white,  were  asleep  in  the  stone-guarded 
lakelet,  upon  which  smiled  the  wreathed  marble 
beauty  of  women  and  babies  on  the  facade ;  and  in 
contrast,  next  sprang  to  life  in  electric  light  the 
alert  equestrian  figures  of  cowboy  and  Indian 
controlling  restive  steed,  and  peering  forth  into 
the  night. 

But  an  exclamation  escaped  Van  Tassel's  lips 
as  the  Transportation  Building  was  passed,  and 
the  arched  grandeur  of  the  Golden  Door  shone 
down  upon  him.  The  launch  turned,  and  thus 


180  SWEET  CLOVER. 

ideally,  without  sound  or  effort,  lie  was  borne  on 
between  Wooded  Island  and  the  homes  of  Mines 
and  Electricity,  approaching  the  vast  expanse  of 
the  Liberal  Arts  building,  only  to  turn  smoothly 
again  beneath  the  bridge,  and  glide  on  toward 
that  Mecca  of  all  Exposition  pilgrims,  the  unique 
Court  of  Honor. 

Jack  had  stood  there  once  in  a  still,  chill  time 
of  waiting,  and  had  seen  the  dead  marble  city 
quickened  to  life.  Now  the  heart  which  began 
to  beat  that  day  had  made  all  the  whiteness  to 
glow.  He  forgot  to  breathe  as,  passing  beneath 
the  last  bridge,  he  emerged  where  the  sea  horses 
reared  wildly  above  cascades  that  went  splashing 
down  the  stone  steps  beneath  Columbia's  tri 
umphal  barge. 

Through  pink  and  purple,  the  rippling  opaline 
water  in  the  Grand  Basin  was  losing  its  sunset 
hues,  and  paling,  as  the  fairy  boat  passed  on. 
The  gold  of  the  statue  of  the  Republic  was  turn 
ing  to  silver.  The  figures  on  the  snowy  palaces 
that  faced  the  four  sides  of  the  lagoon  still  stood 
white  against  the  darkening  background.  Angels 
poised  on  soft,  strong  wings,  seemed  vivified  as 
the  day  died.  Jack  saw  their  beckoning  hands 
through  a  mist.  He  heard  the  penetrating  tones 
of  their  silver  trumpets  through  the  linger  ing- 
sweetness  of  a  serenade  that  proceeded  from  a  dis 
tant  pavilion.  Strange  influences  were  about  him, 
and  he  was  glad  that  no  mortal  friend  stood  by. 

His  father  had  worked  and  planned  and  striven 


THE   COURT  OF  HONOR.  181 

for  this.  Did  he  see  the  result  ?  Could  he  know 
the  success  that  had  crowned  the  efforts  of  his 
confreres  ? 

Suddenly,  across  the  spontaneous  regret  that 
sprang  in  Jack's  heart  at  the  realization  of  what 
Death  had  snatched  from  his  loved  one,  came  an 
idea  which  was  like  a  glimpse  of  new  light.  Since 
such  a  miracle  of  beauty  as  now  lay  about  him 
was  possible  in  this  lower  world,  might  it  not  be 
indeed  true  — 

Jack's  thoughts  became  confused.  They  had 
followed  so  long  and  yearningly  out  into  that 
unknown  country  where  his  father  had  gone,  and 
about  which  he  had  never  before  troubled  himself, 
that  he  had  grasped  for  his  own  consolation  a 
belief  that  it  was  a  reality ;  and  now  something 
in  this  stately  and  beautiful  place  built  with  men's 
hands  made  him  recall  vaguely  the  Bible  declara 
tion  :  - 

"  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which 
God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him." 

It  was  with  reverence  and  a  species  of  awe  that 
Van  Tassel  gazed  about  him.  The  Court  of 
Honor  had  given  him  his  first  approach  to  a  reali 
zation  of  the  possibilities  of  the  Celestial  City. 

Only  gradually  the  details  of  his  surroundings 
impressed  him.  His  boat  glided  toward  the  Peri 
style,  and  he  began  to  notice  that  the  water  was 
picturesque  with  gondolas,  propelled  by  their 
bright-sashed  oarsmen. 


182  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Beneath  a  massive  arch  he  could  look  out  upon 
the  great  lake,  his  lake,  his  old  playmate,  now 
grown  grandly  alien  as  guardian  of  this  mystical 
city.  He  knew  every  tone  of  its  voice.  He  had 
braved  it  in  its  stormy  strength,  and  gone  to  sleep 
at  night  to  its  lullaby. 

Now  its  surf,  breaking  against  the  outer  stones, 
appealed  to  his  moved  heart  in  the  song  of  a  past 
gone  forever,  and  he  did  not  know  whether  its 
proximity,  the  voice  of  this  single  friend  in  a 
place  of  strangers,  gave  the  crown  of  pain  or  of 
joy  to  his  tender  ecstasy. 

And  now  the  royal  palaces  so  lavishly  deco 
rated  with  painting  and  sculpture  began  to  assume 
their  further  nightly  decoration  of  jewels.  Tiny 
incandescent  lights  ran  swiftly  in  diamond  neck 
laces  and  diadems  about  cornice  and  pediment  of 
buildings,  and  glittered  in  long  lines  close  above 
the  waters  of  the  lagoon.  The  crown  of  the 
Administration  dome  shone  out  in  immobile  fire, 
while  torches  of  flame,  "  yellow,  golden,  glorious," 
flared  across  its  f  a9ades. 

Van  Tassel  had  no  well-meant  descriptions  of 
this  view  to  contend  against.  No  one  had  endeav 
ored  to  prepare  him  for  what  he  was  to  see.  To 
him  these  wonders  were  appearing  for  the  first 
time ;  one  after  another  spontaneous,  unexpected 
change  of  scene  forming  a  crescendo  of  loveliness. 
More  and  more  unreal  grew  the  fairy  spectacle. 
Less  and  less  did  he  try  to  realize  the  impossible 
fact  that  he  was  in  a  familiar  locality. 


THE   COURT  OF  HONOR.  183 

He  left  the  boat  mechanically  because  his  quiet 
fellow-passengers  —  figures  also  of  a  dream  —  did 
so;  and  when  he  paused  again,  he  was  standing 
near  a  giant  horse  and  plowboy  near  the  water's 
edge.  Behind  him  stretched  the  spaces  of  lawn  in 
front  of  the  Liberal  Arts  edifice,  softly  green  in 
the  rays  of  many  arc-light  moons.  He  gazed  west 
ward  toward  the  Administration  Building,  before 
which  three  great  fountains  played,  and  suddenly 
its  regal  jeweled  dome  became  more  splendid  in 
the  surrounding  darkness.  The  cameos  upon  its 
surface  shone  out  clear-cut  and  white  in  the  night. 
A  moment  thus,  then  the  carving  disappeared, 
and  again  the  electric  jewels  stood  alone  against 
the  sky.  That  magic,  all-revealing  light  flitted 
to  rest  upon  the  great  central  fountain  where  the 
Muses  propelled  the  barge  of  Progress  through 
musically  plashing  waters;  and  while  the  erect 
figure  in  the  chair  of  state  still  looked  proudly 
out  into  the  night,  all  other  brightness  faded. 
Even  the  jewels  vanished.  The  palaces  stood 
dark  and  mysterious  beneath  the  stars.  All  at 
once  a  light  was  thrown  upon  the  group  which 
surmounted  the  Peristyle. 

Columbus  in  his  four-horse  chariot  shone  white 
above  the  shadowy  columns,  driving  in  from  the 
broad  waters  toward  distant,  glowing,  advancing 
Columbia. 

Van  Tassel,  spellbound,  yielded  still  more  to 
the  mystery  of  the  place  and  hour,  and  a  subdued 
murmur  caused  him  to  glance  again  westward. 


184  SWEET  CLOVER. 

The  fountains  which  flanked  the  great  barge  on 
either  side  had  ceased  to  play,  while  a  strange 
beam  of  light  shot  heavenward  from  either  one. 
At  last  at  the  foot  of  the  beam  a  bright  liquid 
bubbling  began,  which  seemed  to  gather  strength, 
and  at  last  leaped  from  both  fountains  high  in  air. 
This  vivid  red  changed  to  violet,  to  gold,  to 
emerald,  to  molten  silver,  breaking  in  brilliant 
showers  and  mists.  Apart  from  the  lofty  middle 
jet  in  each  one,  circled  low  whirls  of  bright  water 
with  such  swiftness  as  to  stand  like  sheaves  of 
wheat  placed  in  a  ring  about  the  central  cascade. 

Van  Tassel  wished  to  have  a  fairer  view  of  both 
fountains,  and  changed  his  position  to  another  side 
of  the  great  horse.  Around  him  were  other 
shadowy  beings  whom  he  did  not  regard.  Near 
his  new  standpoint  and  rather  in  his  way  was  a 
woman  seated.  He  did  not  look  to  see  upon  what 
she  sat.  In  his  present  state  of  mind  he  would 
have  supposed  it  a  throne  had  he  thought  about  it 
at  all ;  but  he  did  not  think  about  it,  and  the 
throne  was  in  his  way,  so  he  unconsciously  leaned 
slightly  upon  it  in  his  effort  to  see. 

The  figure  in  the  chair  turned  her  head.  "  Did 
you  find  them  ? "  she  asked,  then  added  coldly, 
"  Excuse  me,"  and  turned  back  again. 

Van  Tassel  started  like  a  somnambulist  wak 
ened  from  sleep.  Another  familiar  voice  had 
spoken  to  him  out  of  the  past.  At  the  same  mo 
ment  the  search  light  which  had  been  upon  the 
Quadriga  sped  to  the  angel  above  the  pediment  of 


THE   COURT  OF  HONOR.  185 

the  Agricultural  Building.  So  light  her  poise,  so 
strong  her  wings,  so  beneficent  her  outstretched 
arms,  it  seemed  impossible  in  that  mystical  irradi 
ation  that  she  should  not  quit  her  lightly  touched 
support  and  float  downward  to  waiting  mortals. 

A  need  for  sympathy  upsprang  in  Van  Tassel's 
heart.  Involuntarily  he  spoke  :  - 

"  Is  that  not  beautiful,  Mildred  ?  " 

"Jack!  "  The  exclamation  in  amazed  tones  as 
the  girl  sat  up  alertly  in  her  wheeled  chair.  "  I 
was  just  wondering  if  you  had  come.  When  did 
you  arrive  ?  " 

Pie  took  the  hand  she  offered.  "  I  don't  know," 
he  answered  slowly.  "  Do  you  see  that  angel  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  do.     That  is  my  angel." 

"  Our  angel  then.     Let  me  share  it." 

"  You  shall,"  replied  the  girl  generously.  She 
waited  a  moment  in  smiling  silence  ;  "  but  that 
is  n't  our  hand,"  she  added  at  last.  "  That  is 
mine.  Have  n't  you  had  it  a  good  while,  consid 
ering  it  is  a  loan  ?  " 

"  Have  I  ?     "Well,"  and  Jack  slowly  released  it. 

"  I  am  in  dreamland,  Mildred.  I  am  glad  to 
meet  you  here,  whether  you  are  a  reality  or  not." 

"  Oh !  You  remind  me  of  those  creepy  shades 
in  Vedder's  picture  where  one  asks  the  other  who 
he  is  and  the  second  answers  shiverily  that  he 
does  n't  know.  '  I  only  died  last  night,'  is  what  he 
was  inconsiderate  enough  to  reply.  I  have  never 
forgiven  him." 

Jack  stood  at  her  side  and  leaned  an  arm  on  the 
back  of  her  chair. 


186  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  This  is  a  sort  of  No  Man's  Land  too,"  he  an 
swered,  "  and  when  it  grows  dark  here  one  feels 
that  these  marble  creatures  gain  life.  See  that 
population  on  the  Peristyle !  They  belong  here. 
We  are  only  strangers." 

"I  see  the  spell  of  the  White  City  is  upon  you, 
else  you  would  certainly  express  some  surprise  at 
finding  me  alone." 

"  It  is  only  one  of  the  good  and  wonderful 
things  that  have  befallen  me  to-night.  It  seems 
perfectly  natural.  I  needed  you,  Mildred.  I 
needed  some  tie  to  the  time  in  which  life  was 
worth  living  to  assure  me  that  it  is  so  still,  and 
that  there  is  perhaps  more  use  in  it  than  there 
would  be  in  sinking  into  the  opal  water  and  dying 
rapturously  in  this  enchanted  place." 

"Why  Jack,  kindred  spirit;  you  have  it  as 
severely  as  we  have !  " 

The  girl  extended  her  gloved  hand  impetuously, 
and  Van  Tassel  accepted  it  with  alacrity. 

"  Are  you  going  to  take  it  away  again  immedi 
ately?"  he  inquired,  slowly  waking  to  the  situa 
tion.  "  I  was  enjoying  holding  it  before  more 
than  I  realized  until  I  was  bereft.  One  must  have 
sympathy  in  a  place  like  this." 

"  Oh  I  know  it,"  she  said,  speaking  hastily  as 
she  withdrew  her  hand  and  looked  over  her  shoul 
der  apprehensively,  "  and  I  am  afraid  every  sec 
ond  that  Mr.  Ogden  will  come  back.  When  our 
party  left  Old  Vienna,  we  separated  and  promised 
to  rendezvous  by  the  plow-horses,  I  thought, 


THE   COURT  OF  HONOR,  187 

but  Mr.  Ogclen  understood  that  it  was  to  be  at  the 
Liberal  Arts  entrance,  and  he  has  gone  now  to  see 
if  they  are  there.  My  chair-boy  is  over  yonder 
resting  his  weary  bones  on  the  steps.  I  never  can 
endure  to  have  the  poor  things  stand  around  any 
more  than  they  have  to." 

"I  trust  the  Liberal  Arts  entrance  is  a  suffi 
ciently  ambiguous  term  to  detain  our  friend  some 
time,"  returned  Jack.  "Isn't  there  some  white 
magic  that  could  be  practiced  on  him  ?  Of  course 
no  black  art  would  be  possible  here,  but  I  must 
say  I  should  have  to  come  down  by  easy  stages 
before  I  could  converse  with  Ogden  to-night,  and 
I  don't  want  to  leave  you." 

"  I  don't  want  you  to,  either.  I  —  I  especially 
don't.  And  I  told  Mr.  Ogden  that  if  we  met  you 
here  I  should  have  to  go  with  you  —  Yes,  I  put  it 
that  way,  for  I  told  him  we  expected  you,  and  it 
was  n't  quite  the  thing  for  me  to  come  away ;  but 
of  course  I  had  n't  the  least  idea  we  should  meet 
you." 

"  And  you  told  him  that  too,  I  suppose,"  re 
marked  Jack  dryly,  all  his  dreaminess  departed. 
"  You  declared  it  would  be  your  duty  to  go  with 
me  if  we  did  meet,  but  of  course  such  a  calamity 
for  Ogden  was  improbable.  I  know  just  how  you 
put  it.  Girls  know  how  to  smooth  a  man  the  right 
way.  Now  that  we  have  met,  and  Ogden  is  out 
of  the  way,  you  tell  me  you  especially  want  me  to 
remain  with  you,  and  don't  want  him." 

Mildred  looked  up  at  the  speaker,'  and  after  a 
moment  burst  into  a  mirthful  laugh. 


188  SWEET  CLOVEN. 

"  Where  is  our  angel  ?  "  slie  asked. 

Jack  glanced  across  the  lagoon,  but  all  was 
shadow  save  for  the  rosy  glow  in  the  colonnade  of 
the  Agricultural  Building. 

"  Vanished  !  "  exclaimed  Mildred.  "  Frightened 
back  by  your  naughty  temper  just  as  she  was 
about  to  fly  down  to  us." 

"  I  don't  like  to  think  of  you  as  the  least  bit  of 
a  coquette,"  said  Van  Tassel. 

"Then  don't.  It  is  extremely  disrespectful. 
Oh,  Mr.  Ogden,  you  are  back  again.  The  un 
expected  always  happens,  you  see,  and  truth  is 
stranger  than  fiction.  Here  is  Mr.  Van  Tassel, 
after  all." 

"  Well,  Jack."  The  two  men  greeted  each 
other,  each  endeavoring  to  conceal  his  dissatisfac 
tion.  "  It  is  possible  to  find  a  needle  in  the  hay 
mow,  then,"  said  Ogden.  "  Miss  Bryant  told  me 
you  were  expected  about  now.  Your  first  visit? 
What  do  you  think  of  our  little  show?  " 

"  Can't  say  yet,"  returned  Jack  shortly.  "  I  am 
just  going  to  see  another  part  of  it." 

"  The  fireworks,  I  suppose.  They  will  start, 
now  the  fountains  have  stopped." 

"  Fireworks  ?  No  I  "  exclaimed  Van  Tassel  in 
genuine  repugnance.  What  sacrilege  for  pyrotech 
nics  to  paint  the  lily!  His  eyes  fell  upon  a  re 
volving  globe  of  light  inside  a  window  of  the  Elec 
tricity  Building.  Its  color  changed  with  each 
revolution.  "  I  think  I  will  wander  over  in  that 
direction,"  he  said. 


THE   COURT  OF  HONOR.  189 

"The  fireworks  are  always  fine,"  remarked 
Mildred.  "  Are  you  sure  you  would  not  prefer  to 
come  to  the  lake  shore  and  see  them  ?  The  reflec 
tions  in  the  water  give  beautiful  effects."  As  she 
spoke,  the  girl  left  her  wheeled-chair. 

"  Oh,  don't  rise,  Miss  Bryant,"  begged  Ogden 
hastily.  "  I  will  find  our  pusher.  The  rest  of  the 
party  did  understand  that  we  were  to  come  to  the 
Liberal  Arts  entrance.  They  will  meet  us  at 
Baker's  Chocolate  House." 

"  Don't  let  me  detain  you,"  said  Van  Tassel 
courteously.  The  electric  jewels  were  again  run 
ning  in  lines  of  light  around  the  buildings.  Jack 
could  see  the  expression  in  Mildred's  face  as  she 
stood  before  him. 

She  waited  a  moment  and  Ogden  stepped  aside 
to  find  the  guide. 

"  I  don't  want  to  see  a  rocket  go  sputtering 
over  this  place,"  explained  Jack,  for  the  girl's  eyes 
demanded  something. 

She  gave  a  short  laugh.  "  You  poor,  provincial 
Bostonian,"  she  remarked.  "  Go  your  way ;  and 
when  you  discover  what  the  fireworks  of  the 
White  City  really  are,  perhaps  your  fastidiousness 
will  not  be  shocked.  Certainly,  Mr.  Ogden,  I  am 
ready.  Au  revoir,  Jack." 

"  Good-by,  old  fellow,"  said  Ogden,  as  Mildred 
resumed  her  position  in  the  chair.  He  was  beam 
ing  again  with  relief  from  the  apprehended  loss  of 
Miss  Bryant's  society. 

Van  Tassel  moved  away  in  the  opposite  direc- 


190  SWEET  CLOVER. 

tion  from  that  they  took  :  but  no  amount  of  at 
tempted  concentration  on  his  surroundings  would 
restore  to  him  the  dreamy  delight  of  half  an  hour 
ago.  He  saw  continually  the  reproach  and  sur 
prise  in  Mildred's  eyes. 

"  What  right  had  I  to  take  her  away  from 
Ogden?"  his  thoughts  protested.  "It  was  all 
nonsense  for  her  to  think  that  hospitality  de 
manded  it." 

Then  his  reflections  passed  over  from  the  indig 
nant  hazel  eyes  to  Miss  Bryant's  cavalier.  The 
latter's  uneasy  devotion  had  been  apparent  even 
in  the  few  phrases  Jack  had  heard  him  say.  The 
eagerly  bent  head,  the  short  nervous  laughs  with 
which  he  interspersed  his  sentences  told  the  story  ; 
and  instantly  curiosity  leaped  up  in  Van  Tassel's 
heart  as  to  Mildred's  real  sentiments  toward  her 
admirer. 

She  had  said  she  especially  wanted  Jack  not  to 
leave  her  to-night.  What  did  that  mean?  Jack 
walked  a  little  faster  because  he  suddenly  knew 
that  it  was  the  fact  that  she  had  said  that, 
coupled  with  Ogden's  lover-like  manner  which  had 
made  him  hold  aloof. 

He  had  made  a  point  of  giving  Ogden  his 
chance,  and  now  he  felt  ashamed  of  it.  Why 
should  he  have  felt  injured  because  Mildred  had  a 
lover  ?  Probably  she  had  a  dozen,  and  what  won 
der  if  she  had  ? 

He  felt  humiliated,  and  convicted  of  disloyalty. 
Milly  Bryant  had  wanted  defense  from  something, 
and  had  appealed  to  him  in  vain. 


Till']    COURT   OF  HO  NOIL  191 

Jack  had  passed  along  the  side  of  the  Electrical 
Building  and  crossed  the  bridge  to  Wooded  Island 
by  this  time,  and,  deciding  to  postpone  further  ex 
ploration,  determined  to  walk  straight  up  through 
the  Cornell  Avenue  entrance  and  so  home.  But  as 
thousands  of  people  know  to  the  cost  of  their  groan 
ing  muscles,  getting  on  Wooded  Island  and  getting 
off  it  are  two  very  different  things.  Jack  wan 
dered  about  for  some  time  before  he  found  another 
bridge,  and  when  he  did  so,  it  led  off  to  the  east, 
and  his  aimless  walk  brought  him  to  the  lake  shore. 
Cannon-like  reports  were  sounding  upon  the  air, 
and  superb  bombs  bursting  high  above  the  water 
broke  into  lavish  showers  of  emeralds,  rubies,  and 
diamonds.  The  shore  was  black  with  a  watching 
multitude,  and  Van  Tassel  found  himself  drawn  to 
its  outskirts  to  watch  and  wonder  with  the  rest. 
Volcanoes  and  serpents  of  flame,  bouquets  of  a 
hundred  rockets  at  once,  filled  the  night  with 
brightness,  paling  the  stars,  and  illuminating  the 
surging  water ;  and  when  a  succession  of  fiery 
white  cascades  slowly  unrolled  their  graceful  curves 
and  stood  poised  in  air,  showering  a  light  as  of  day 
upon  the  scene,  Jack  joined  in  the  cheers  that  with 
whistles  from  a  congregation  of  boats  saluted  the 
gorgeous  spectacle. 

"  I  'rn  a  fool,"  he  said,  as  he  resumed  his  walk 
northward.  "  I  am  sure  Mildred  would  have  given 
me  her  hand  again  on  that." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  MASSACHUSETTS   CELEBRATION. 

"  I  SEE  by  the  paper  there  's  some  sort  o'  doin's 
at  the  Massachusetts  house  to-day,"  observed  Miss 
Berry  to  Clover,  as  the  two  stood  in  the  dining- 
room  one  morning  after  breakfast  was  over. 

"  A  day  when  you  ought  to  visit  the  Fair  then, 
surely,"  replied  her  companion. 

"  Why,  yes.  I  don't  know  but  I  will,"  returned 
Miss  Lovina  ruminatively. 

"  And  you  ought  to  make  an  early  start,  Aunt 
Love.  You  are  not  the  only  loyal  Yankee  in 
town." 

"  Just  so,"  said  the  housekeeper  placidly.  "  Mrs. 
Van  Tassel,  we  must  have  a  chocolate  puddin'  pretty 
soon.  Mr.  Jack  was  fond  o'  chocolate  from  a  child. 
I  well  remember"  — 

"  Yes,  I  want  to  hear  all  about  it  some  time  ; 
but  you  know  how  hard  it  is  for  you  to  get  an 
early  start  for  the  Fair.  Let  me  attend  to  your 
department  to-day,  and  you  go  down  to  the  Massa 
chusetts  house  and  have  a  good  time." 

"My  dear,  I  shall  get  there  in  good  season. 
Don't  you  worry  a  mite.  Independence  is  won. 
The  country 's  safe  and  my  beiii'  0*1  hand  at  just 
such  a  minute  don't  signify.  I  'd  rather  go  through 
my  reg'lar  routine.  I  'm  happier  that  way." 


A    MASSACHUSETTS   CELEBRATION.          193 

Thus  it  was  that  when  Aunt  Love  stepped  leisurely 
through  the  Cornell  Avenue  turnstile,  taking  her 
way  down  between  Kentucky  and  West  Virginia 
and  around  Pennsylvania's  edifice,  she  saw  that 
the  Massachusetts  Building  was  surrounded  by  a 
crowd. 

"  That 's  clever,"  she  murmured,  in  nowise  dis 
turbed  by  the  evident  fact  that  she  could  not 
approach  near  enough  to  hear  the  speeches. 
"  There  's  plenty  o'  folks  to  show  an  interest." 

The  wreathed  fa9ade  of  New  York's  palatial 
home  rose  beside  her,  and  she  ascended  the  broad 
marble  steps,  passed  through  the  hall,  and  out 
upon  the  eastern  porch.  A  fountain  plashed  coolly 
in  its  centre,  wicker  rocking-chairs  stood  about, 
dull  blue  portieres  were  looped  between  its  pillars. 
Miss  Berry  was  warm  and  tired  from  her  walk. 
The  chairs  looked  inviting.  She  sank  into  one 
of  them,  and  listened  to  the  lulling  tone  of  the 
fountain  while  she  looked  across  the  street  at 
the  more  energetic  patriots  or  more  curious  idlers, 
who  lined  the  way  to  the  Hancock  house  in  the 
hope  of  seeing  the  dignitaries  of  the  occasion  pass 
in  and  out. 

A  fine  band  stationed  in  the  yard  of  the  mansion 
began  to  play  inspiringly.  As  Miss  Berry  grew 
refreshed  under  the  influence  of  the  silvery  falling 
water  and  her  comfortable  chair,  her  anxiety  to  see 
and  hear  increased.  Her  point  of  view  was  unsat 
isfactory,  and  yet  the  idea  of  joining  the  crowd  of 
spectators  was  not  attractive. 


194  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  I  wonder  if  they  '11  let  you  go  upstairs  in  this 
grand,  big  place,"  she  pondered.  "  One  o'  those 
blue  fellers  '11  stop  me  quick  enough  if  I  can't. 
They  know  a  good  deal  better  what  a  body  can't 
do  than  what  she  can." 

Miss  Berry  might  be  excused  for  grumbling. 
She  had  made  her  acquaintance  with  the  Fair 
City  at  a  date  before  the  Columbian  Guards  had 
learned  their  points  of  compass  ;  and  she  would 
have  to  become  lighter  on  her  feet  before  she 
could  forgive  them  the  unnecessary  walking  which 
their  blundering  directions  had  caused  her  to  per 
form. 

She  left  the  shady  stone  porch,  and,  passing 
through  the  spacious  apartment  which  led  to  the 
hall,  began  to  ascend  the  stairs.  No  one  protested, 
and  she  took  courage  to  remark  her  surroundings. 

"  The  New  Yorkers  seem  to  like  any  color  so 
it 's  red,"  she  mused,  noting  the  Pompeian  glow  of 
the  wall.  Of  course  a  Massachusetts  woman  on 
this  day  must  not  be  uncritical  of  her  neighbor's 
efforts. 

But  when  Miss  Lovina  entered  the  banquet  hall 
she  stood  amazed.  Only  for  a  moment,  however. 
It  was  an  unrighteous  place.  She  felt  it.  She 
refused  to  be  dazzled  by  its  prismatic  glass  and  its 
painted  cherubs.  There  was  an  unholy  luxury, 
a  theatrical  suggestion  about  its  velvet  boxes.  Miss 
Berry,  looking  straight  before  her,  hastened  swiftly 
as  she  dared  across  its  polished  floor  and  through 
the  light  room  beyond,  out  upon  an  upper  balcony 


A   MASSACHUSETTS   CELEBRATION.  195 

which  overlooked  the  festivities  of  her  own  sub 
stantial  and  respectable  State. 

Yes,  Miss  Berry  could  breathe  out  here.  Com 
ing  from  the  seductive  shadow  of  the  dim  hall,  the 
sunlight  seemed  doubly  clear.  The  heavenly  blue 
of  the  firmament  bent  above  snowy  and  golden 
domes,  flying  flags,  and  winding  waterways,  while 
the  bewitching  sparkle  of  Lake  Michigan's  electric 
blues  and  peacock  greens  seemed  more  vital  as  one 
listened  to  the  rhythmic  harmonies  poured  forth  on 
the  summer  air  by  the  musicians  below.  It  was  a 
season  of  delight.  The  whole  atmosphere  seemed 
charged  with  gayety. 

A  man  leaning  his  elbows  on  the  rail  of  the  bal 
cony  was  thinking  this  when  Miss  Lovina  emerged 
from  the  doorway.  She  glanced  at  him,  then 
glanced  again,  then  gazed. 

"  Of  course  't  ain't  him  ;  but  if  it  don't  look  like 
him !  "  she  mused. 

The  more  she  looked,  the  stronger  grew  the 
resemblance  of  that  back  to  one  she  knew.  The 
man  was  interested  in  the  celebration  over  the  way. 
Why  should  she  not  stand  beside  him  a  minute  ? 

Acting  on  the  impulse,  Aunt  Love  also  leaned 
her  arm  on  the  rail,  and  waited  a  second  before 
stealing  a  furtive  curious  look  at  her  neighbor's 
face.  Their  eyes  met.  In  a  moment  both  her 
hands  were  being  shaken. 

"  For  the  land's  sake,  Mr.  Gorham !  " 

"  Hurrah  for  us,"  he  answered,  laughing.  "  To 
think  that  I  should  have  come  unexpectedly  upon 


196  SWEET   CLOVER. 

this  celebration  and  you.  What  more  could  a 
Bostonian  ask?  " 

"  You  might  ask  to  be  in  the  Massachusetts 
house  instead  of  over  here  in  Gotham." 

"  I  fancy  only  invited  guests  go  in  there  to-day ; 
but  at  any  rate  I  have  only  just  arrived,  and  this 
is  a  fine  place  for  the  general  effect.  So  that  is 
the  old  Hancock  house." 

"  Yes.     I  remember  the  real  one  very  well." 

"  How  well  the  grounds  look.  I  am  anxious  to 
get  in.  You  have  visited  it,  of  course." 

"  Yes,  I  have.  I  must  say  to  you,  Mr.  Gorham, 
I  had  to  laugh  to  see  some  o'  the  stuff  they  've  put 
in  a  glass  case  over  there.  I  Ve  got  some  things 
in  my  attic  in  Pearfield  they  could  have  had  and 
welcome." 

"  Perhaps  they  would  have  been  glad  of  them," 
remarked  Page. 

Miss  Berry  laughed.  "  I  never  thought  before 
o'  puttin'  Aunt  Jerushy's  old  calash  under  glass 
for  a  show,"  she  said.  "  It  would  'a'  looked  simple 
to  me  ;  but  there  's  papers  in  one  o'  the  down 
stairs  rooms  that  are  interestin'.  There 's  no 
doubt  about  it.  It  does  make  a  body's  blood  boil 
to  see  the  old  superstitions  down  in  black  and 
white,  and  think  o'  the  past  sufferin's  of  innocent 
folks.  There  's  one  paper  there  makin'  out  a  case 
against  some  poor  critter  for  havin'  dealin's  with 
the  devil,  'way  back  in  Salem  times." 

"  I  want  to  see  everything  in  that  house,"  re 
turned  Gorham,  with  anticipatory  relish. 


A   MASSACHUSETTS   CELEBRATION.  197 

"  Well,  give  an  account  of  yourself,"  said  Miss 
Berry,  after  a  moment's  silence.  "  Have  you  been 
to  Mrs.  Van  Tassel's  ?  " 

"  No,  not  yet." 

"  But  you  are  coinin',  ain't  you  ?  " 

"  To  call,  certainly." 

"  But  you  've  been  invited  to  stay  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  know ;  but  I  have  taken  a  room  at  the 
Beach." 

"  Why,  what 's  that  for  ?  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  will 
think  that 's  queer." 

"  She  will  have  guests  enough  without  me." 

"  It  is  your  Uncle  Richard's  house,"  persisted 
Miss  Berry. 

"  Yes,  that  is  just  the  trouble,"  returned  Page 
quietly. 

Aunt  Love  sighed.  "  Well,  I  was  'lottin'  on 
helpin'  to  make  you  all  comfortable." 

"  I  have  n't  a  doubt  of  it,  you  dear  soul.  Be 
sure  that  only  stern  principle  drives  me  from 
under  your  wing,  and  please  get  me  an  invitation 
to  dinner  soon,  won't  you?  How  is  Jack  ?  " 

"  He  's  lively.  I  heard  'em  at  breakfast  talkin' 
about  all  comin'  down  to  the  illumination  tonight." 

"  I  wonder  if  I  might  join  the  party." 

"Of  course.  Nobody  knew  you  were  comin' 
out  so  soon." 

"  I  did  n't  expect  it  myself.  It  was  a  sudden 
determination." 

"  They  are  goin'  to  have  their  supper  down 
here  at  six  o'clock,  I  heard  'em  say  at  breakfast, 


198  SWEET  CLOVER. 

at  the  Marine  —  Caffy,  I  think  they  call  it.  At 
any  rate  I  know  the  house  first-rate ;  and  if  't  wan't 
for  the  Art  Buildin'  I  could  show  it  to  you  from 
here.  It 's  brown,  and  that 's  queer  enough  in 
this  place,  and  then  it 's  all  covered  with  candle 
snuffers.  Just  as  soon  as  I  once  sensed  it  that  the 
Columbian  Guards  were  put  here  to  look  pretty 
and  did  n't  know  where  anything  was,  I  made  up 
my  mind  if  I  didn't  learn  the  g'ography  o'  the 
place  I  'd  be  a  cripple ;  so  I  buckled  down  to  it 
and  I'm  most  ready  to  stand  an  examination. 
Miss  Bryant  told  me  when  I  first  came  down  that 
if  I  'd  just  take  the  opposite  direction  to  what  a 
Guard  told  me,  I  "d  find  myself  all  right ;  and  that 
did  work  pretty  well,  but  it 's  better  yet  to  know 
your  own  way  around  and  not  have  to  make  calcu 
lations." 

Page  nodded  smilingly. 

"  It  does  beat  all,"  Aunt  Love  went  on,  "  how 
when  you  're  at  this  north  end  o'  the  Fair,  the 
Art  Buildin'  is  just  across  the  street  from  every 
thing.  It  does  seem  sometimes  as  if  it  had  n't  any 
end  ;  and  when  you  once  get  into  it.  My !  " 

"Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  said  Page,  "but,"  he 
added  with  the  courage  of  a  new-comer,  "I  pro 
pose  to  see  all  that 's  in  it ;  and  speaking  of  thor 
oughness,  have  you  looked  over  this  building?" 

u  I  just  glanced  as  I  came  along,"  replied  Miss 
Berry  cautiously.  "  It 's  pretty  worldly  and  glit- 
terin',  just  like  the  folks  that  built  it.  That  hall 
in  there  with  the  slippery  floor  " 


A  MASSACHUSETTS   CELEBRATION.  199 

'•  A  ball-room,  yes.  Let  us  go  back  and 
examine." 

;;  Oh,  it 's  a  ball-room,  is  it !  "  said  Miss  Berry, 
following  the  young  man  back  into  the  lofty  apart 
ment  where  sunlight  sifting  through  caught  in  the 
prismatic  chandeliers  and  lay  in  rainbows  on  the 
floor. 

They  stood  at  the  rope-guarded  door  of  the  dainty 
tea-room.  Page  pointed  out  to  his  companion  the 
beauties  of  wreathed  pillars  and  mural  decorations 
in  the  loft}*  hall,  but  he  observed  that  the  light  of 
suspicion  still  shone  in  her  eyes. 

"Let  us  try  the  roof,  Aunt  Love,"  he  remarked. 
"  You  can  see  the  Hancock  house  again  from  there, 
and  I  'm  sure  you  will  be  more  comfortable." 

"  Oh,  I  know  this  is  all  elegant,  Mr.  Gorham, 
and  it 's  a  great  thing  to  have  such  riches  opened 
up  for  everybody  to  see.  ^Vhy,  downstairs  there  's 
a  gold  piano,  and  velvet  and  silk  curtains ;  but 
folks  don't  want  to  set  their  hearts  on  gold  pianos 
and  diamond  chandeliers.  You  ain't  goin*  to  take 
that  elevator,  are  you  ? ' '  she  added,  dropping  her 
virtuously  impersonal  tone  for  one  of  anxiety. 

"  Certainly.  You  must  have  learned  the  impor 
tance  of  economizing  steps  here." 

"  Better  get  lame  from  walkin'  than  break  your 
leg   in  a  fallin'  elevator,"  remarked   Miss  Berry.      / 
4i  Accidents  in  the  papers  do  scare  a  body."    But   f 
she  consented  to  run  the  risk,  and  soon  was  stand 
ing  beside  Page  in  one  of  the  square  towers  on  the 
roof,  with  the  Fair  City  spread  out  around  them. 


200  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  visited  the  Midway,"  re 
marked  Page,  looking  over  to  where  the  Ferris 
wheel  revolved,  slowly  and  steadily. 

Miss  Berry  threw  up  both  her  hands.  "  Yes, 
all  I  want  to,"  she  returned  sonorously. 

"  Don't  say  that.  I  expect  you  to  pilot  me  to 
all  the  shows." 

"You'll  be  disappointed,  then.  Civilization's 
good  enough  for  me.  If  I  'd  had  a  call  to  minister 
to  naked  savages,  I  s'pose  I  'd  'a'  been  given  grace 
to  conquer ;  but  to  listen  to  'em  yell,  and  see  'em 
dance,  is  a  mighty  queer  thing  for  Christians  to 
seek  for  entertainment,  it  seems  to  me.  If  I  could 
go  into  that  Pleasance  with  plenty  o'  hot  water 
and  Castile  soap,  and  some  sensible  clothes,  and 
could  help  those  poor  critters  to  a  more  godly  way 
o'  livin'  that  would  be  a  different  thing;  but 
when  I  want  a  good  time  I  ain't  goin'  to  try  to  get 
it  bein'  trod  on  by  camels  and  yelled  at  by  Turks, 
all  the  time  smellln'  smells  I  don't  know  the  name 
of  and  would  be  afraid  to.  No,  sir." 

Page  laughed.  Miss  Berry  looked  as  though 
Michigan's  breezes  were  powerless  to  cool  her. 

"  Perhaps  the  Midway  Plaisance  is  an  acquired 
taste,"  he  said.  "  You  may  like  it  better,  later." 

"  No,  I  've  seen  enough  of  it  if  I  can't  be  a  mis 
sionary,  but  I  'm  glad  all  the  natives  have  got  it 
warm  at  last,  anyway." 

"Which  natives?" 

"  Oh,  all  those  foreign  folks.  They  're  all  na 
tives  of  some  place,  I  s'pose,  and  they  do  say 


A  MASSACHUSETTS   CELEBRATION.  201 

when  't  was  rainy  and  cold  and  muddy  they  had  a 
forlorn  time  of  it  in  the  Pleasance." 

bi  Yes  ;  we  used  to  read  about  it,  and  my  brother 
Robert  nicknamed  the  street  then  the  Mudway 
Nuisance.  We  all  laughed  at  the  joke  but  Jack. 
It  is  against  Jack's  principles  to  jest  at  sacred 
things  like  Chicago  and  her  Fair.  I  shall  have  to 
get  him  to  show  me  the  fine  points  of  the  Midway, 
lie  won't  refuse  me." 

k'Xo,  indeed.  There  's  plenty  that  like  it.  The 
place  gets  more  crowded  every  day.  "Why,  Mr. 
Gorham,"  Miss  Berry  dropped  her  rather  sad, 
musing  tone,  and  spoke  feelingly.  "  That  Midway 
is  just  a  representation  of  matter,  and  this  great 
White  City  is  an  emblem  of  mind.  In  the  Mid 
way  it  "s  some  dirty  and  all  barbaric.  It  deafens 
you  with  noise ;  the  worst  folks  in  there  are  avari 
cious  and  bad,  and  the  best  are  just  children  in 
their  ignorance,  and  when  you're  feelin*  bewildered 
with  the  smells  and  sounds  and  sights,  always 
changin'  like  one  o'  these  kaleidoscopes,  and  when 
you  come  out  o"  that  mile-long  babel  where  you  Ve 
been  elbowed  and  cheated,  you  pass  under  a 
bridge  —  and  all  of  a  sudden  you  are  in  a  great, 
beautiful  silence.  The  angels  on  the  Woman's 
Buildin'  smile  down  and  bless  you,  and  you  know 
that  in  what  seemed  like  one  step,  you  Ve  passed  out 
o'  darkness  into  light."  Aunt  Love  paused  thought 
fully.  "  It  *s  come  to  me,  Mr.  Gorham,  that  per 
haps  dyin'  is  goin'  to  be  somethin*  like  crossin'  the 
dividin'  line  that  separates  the  Midway  from  the 


202  SWEET  CLOVER. 

White  City.  I  've  asked  myself  when  I  've  passed 
under  that  bridge  and  felt  the  difference  down  so 
deep,  what  did  make  it  so  strong  ?  'T  ain't  only 
the  quiet  and  the  grandeur  o'  those  buildin's  com 
pared  with  the  fantastic  things  you  've  left  behind ; 
I  believe  it 's  just  the  fact  that  the  makers  o'  the 
Fair  believed  in  God  and  put  Him  and  their  en 
lightenment  from  Him  into  what  they  did ;  and  we 
feel  it  some  like  we  'd  feel  an  electric  shock." 

Page  nodded.  "  You  make  me  more  interested 
than  ever  in  my  prospect  of  sightseeing,"  he  said. 
"  Now  I  propose  that  you  show  me  the  way  to  that 
cafe  where  you  say  the  others  will  come  this  even 
ing,  and  we  will  take  lunch  together  there.  Not 
a  word  of  objection,  Aunt  Love.  This  is  a  great 
day.  United  we  stand,  divided  we  fall.  Let  us 
charge  on  the  cafe  under  the  candle-snuffers." 

The  two  friends  descended  to  the  street,  and 
Page,  submitting  to  Miss  Berry's  guidance,  was 
led  through  the  archway  running  beneath  the 
eastern  corridor  of  the  Art  Building.  "  I  won't 
attempt  to  take  you  through  the  buildin'  itself," 
said  Miss  Berry,  "  'cause  I  know  well  enough  I 
shouldn't  get  you  through  before  the  middle  o' 
the  afternoon  ;  partly  'cause  you  'd  stop  to  look  at 
the  statuary,  and  partly  'cause  the  first  thing  I 
always  do  when  I  get  in  there  is  to  lose  myself. 
I  've  thought,  up  to  this  summer,  that  I  had  a 
pretty  good  bump  o'  locality;  but  land!  let  me 
turn  around  in  that  place  a  few  times  and  all 
those  signs,  i  East  Wall,'  '  North  Wall,'  and  the 


A  MASSACHUSETTS   CELEBRATION.  203 

rest,  don't  mean  any  more  to  me  than  Greek 
would.  You  '11  see  how  't  is  when  you  try  it." 

Page  was  only  half  listening.  He  paused  by 
the  brink  of  the  water,  fascinated  by  the  spark 
ling,  shining,  noonday  beauty  before  him.  Gon 
dolas  were  stealing  from  beneath  the  bridges,  and 
electric  launches  passing  and  repassing  silently 
and  smoothly  over  the  changing  waves. 

"  We  must  get  into  one  of  those  boats,  Aunt 
Love,"  he  said  with  enthusiasm. 

"  You  can't  sail  to  the  restaurant.  That 's  right 
over  yonder,"  observed  Miss  Berry  practically, 
indicating  with  her  parasol  the  many-towered  roof 
of  the  Marine  Cafe. 

Page  sighed.  "  Do  what  you  like  with  me,"  he 
answered  resignedly.  "  I  can  see  already  that  the 
summer  will  be  too  short." 

"  If  your  breath  ain't,  that 's  all  you  need  fret 
about,"  returned  Miss  Lovina,  as  they  started 
eastward,  along  the  bank  of  the  pond.  "  Many  's 
the  time  in  the  last  weeks  I  've  wished  I  only 
weighed  one  hundred.  Don't  those  ducks  and 
swans  have  it  comfortable  ?  " 

Page  watched  the  undulating  motions  of  the 
pretty  birds  that  eyed  them  as  they  passed. 

"  No,  I  did  n't  bring  my  lunch ;  had  n't  the 
least  notion  o'  stayin',"  replied  Miss  Berry  over 
her  shoulder,  to  the  graceful  followers  who  soon 
veered  away,  secure  of  dining  sumptuously  every 
day. 

"  These  here   steps,"  remarked  Aunt  Love,  as 


204  SWEET  CLOVER. 

she  climbed  up  to  Costa  Rica's  entrance  and 
down  on  the  other  side,  "  do  seem  an  awful  aggra 
vation  when,  you  're  tired,  which  I  ain't  now,  of 
course.  There  's  no  gettin'  out  of  'em  except  by 
walkin'  all  around  Robin  Hood's  barn." 

Page  found  his  companion  surprisingly  intelli 
gent  as  to  the  names  of  the  buildings  they  passed 
lingeringly  on  the  way  to  the  cafe,  and  once  arrived 
at  that  haven,  they  proceeded  to  take  a  leisurely 
lunch,  after  which  Miss  Berry  allowed  herself  to  be 
easily  persuaded  to  ride  around  the  lagoon  in  an 
electric  launch. 

Page  found  so  much  to  interest  him  in  this 
initial  trip,  the  quiet  gliding  motion,  cool  air,  and 
constantly  stimulating  panorama  were  so  charming, 
that  he  scarcely  knew  when  to  abandon  this  cer 
tain  good  for  one  more  doubtful.  At  last,  however, 
he  and  Miss  Berry  found  themselves  roaming  be 
neath  the  gilded  towers  of  the  Electricity  Building. 
Miss  Lovina  gazed  benevolently  and  uncompre- 
hendingly  upon  one  and  another  evidence  of  mar 
velous  achievement,  waiting  patiently  whenever 
Page  paused  to  examine  and  question. 

"  There 's  one  place  here,"  she  volunteered  at 
last,  "  where  I  will  say  for  'em  they  've  done  a 
cute  thing.  They'  ve  harnessed  chain  lightnin'  so 
it  pulls  up  and  down  a  zigzag  path  just  as  tame  as 
my  cow  '11  go  to  pasture.  Come  and  see  it,  Mr. 
Gorham." 

So  Page  was  piloted  through  the  spectacular 
southeast  portion  of  the  building,  where  color  and 


A  MASSACHUSETTS   CELEBRATION.  205 

movement  thrilled  through  every  phase  of  inten 
sity,  from  the  steady  glow  of  the  living  green 
pillars  of  the  Egyptian  temple,  to  the  various 
whirling  globes  and  wheels,  and  the  racing  bub 
bles  of  changing  light  which  sped  along  their 
irregular  tracks. 

"  Ah,  here  are  the  telephones,"  remarked  Page. 

"  Yes ;  do  you  know,  Mr.  Gorham,  till  I  came  to 
Chicago  I  'd  never  seen  a  telephone  ?  I  find  folks 
don't  make  anything  of  'em  here.  Mrs.  Van  Tas 
sel  ain't  any  more  afraid  of  her  telephone  than 
she  is  of  her  sewin'  machine.  When  I  first  came 
I  used  to  jump  a  foot  every  time  that  sharp  little 
bell  rung ;  but  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  was 
havin'  advantages,  and  that  I  was  n't  goin'  to 
slight  'em.  I  made  up  my  mind  I  was  goin'  to 
speak  into  that  box,  no  matter  how  fast  the  chills 
traveled  up  my  back,  and  I  did  it ;  it  makes  me 
as  weak  as  a  kitten  yet,  but  I  just  will  be  up  with 
the  times  I  live  in  if  I  get  a  chance ;  and  ain't  a 
telephone  a  perfect  wonder  now  ?  " 

"  It  is,  indeed,  and  they  are  improving  them  all 
the  time.  I  see  there  is  a  long-distance  telephone. 
How  should  you  like  to  talk  to  New  York  ?  " 

"  I  should  n't  like  to  make  a  fool  o'  myself  that 
way  or  any  other,  Gorham  Page." 

"  But  really,  Aunt  Love  "  - 

"  Save  your  breath,  Mr.  Gorham.  I  know  this 
buildin  's  full  o'  queer  doiii's  and  it 's  a  good  place 
to  play  jokes  on  a  body,  but  there  's  limits  to  even 
a  greenhorn's  credulity." 


206  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  I  was  never  more  in  earnest,  I  assure  you.  It 
is  possible  to  talk  to  New  York." 

Miss  Berry  regarded  her  companion  severely. 
"  Then  it 's  blasphemous.  That 's  all  I  've  got  to 
say." 

"  Why,  I  don't  see  that." 

"  Do  you  s'pose  the  Lord  would  have  put  New 
York  a  thousand  miles  away  from  Chicago  if  he  'd 
expected  'em  to  talk  to  each  other?  " 

Page  laughed.  "  I  never  thought  of  that  before 
as  a  reason  for  the  antagonism  between  the  two 
cities.  Nonsense,  Aunt  Love ;  the  world  moves, 
and  you  must  move  with  it.  You  shall  speak  to 
New  York  and  be  proud  of  yourself  ever  afterward. 
You  know  it  is  to  be  expected  that  science  will 
do  everything  possible  toward  annihilating  space." 

Page  ascended  the  steps  toward  a  silk-curtained 
cabinet ;  a  uniformed  boy  opened  its  glass  door. 

After  remaining  in  the  closet  a  minute  and 
speaking  a  few  sentences  into  the  telephone,  he 
beckoned  to  Miss  Berry  who  had  remained  stand 
ing  at  the  foot  of  the  steps  looking  very  appre 
hensive. 

"  Now,  Aunt  Love,"  he  said  encouragingly,  as 
she  slowly  approached,  a  do-or-die  expression  on 
her  face.  Had  Miss  Berry  been  of  the  Romish 
church  instead  of  being  a  "  Con'regationalist  in 
good  and  regular  standing,"  she  would  assuredly 
have  crossed  herself  before  entering  that  tasteful 
little  apartment. 

Page  smiled  into  his  mustache  as  he  placed  the 


A   MASSACHUSETTS   CELEBRATION.          207 

receiver  in  her  hand,  fervently  wishing  that  he 
might  hear  both  sides  of  the  impending  dialogue. 

"  Mr.  Gorham,"  said  Miss  Berry,  addressing 
him  over  her  shoulder  impressively,  "  think  of  the 
miles,  the  hours,  I  traveled ;  the  rivers  and  lakes  I 
crossed ;  the  mountains  I  tunneled  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  Aunt  Love  ;  but  don't  keep  our  New 
York  friend  waiting." 

"  I  feel  prickly,  Gorham.  I  think  I  'm  goin'  to 
faint." 

"  Oh  no,  you  're  not.  Just  say  Hello,"  returned 
Page  cheerily,  his  eyes  twinkling. 

"  Hello,"  quavered  Miss  Lovina,  and  promptly 
the  answer  came :  — 

New  York.     Is  this  Miss  Berry? 

Miss  Berry.     How  did  you  know  my  name  ? 

New  York.  A  gentleman  just  told  me  to  ex 
pect  you.  I  am  happy  to  meet  you,  or  to  hear  you, 
all  the  way  from  New  York. 

Miss  Berry.     Go  away ! 

New  York.  Are  n't  you  a  little  unreasonable, 
madam  ?  I  'm  a  good  way  off  already. 

Miss  Berry.  How  am  I  to  be  sure  you  ain't  in 
the  next  room,  sir  ? 

New  York.      Do  you  hear  me  so  distinctly  ? 

Miss  Berry.  It  is  the  most  wonderful  thing  in 
the  world  if  you  are  real. 

New  York.  Oh,  I  am  real,  I  assure  you, 
madam.  I  see  you  have  been  making  trips  to  the 
Midway,  and  your  confidence  in  human  nature  is 
shaken. 


208  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Miss  Berry.  You  're  just  right  there.  I  should 
like  to  talk  to  you  about  the  Midway.  Have  you 
been  to  the  Fair  yet  ? 

New  York.  No  ;  and  alas,  I  'm  afraid  I  'm  not 
coming ;  but  if  I  do,  I  'm  going  to  the  Midway  the 
first  thing. 

Miss  Berry.  Now,  young  man,  you  just  stand 
there  a  minute,  and  I  '11  convince  you  —  "  Hey  ?  " 
for  Gorham  was  pulling  her  sleeve. 

"  There  are  some  more  people  waiting  to  speak, 
Aunt  Love." 

"  What  ?  Oh,"  Miss  Berry  looked  dazed,  relin 
quished  the  receiver,  and  moved  like  a  somnambu 
list  out  of  the  cabinet. 

"  You  might  have  said  good-by  to  your  new 
friend,"  suggested  Page. 

"Mr.  Gorham,  tell  me,"  spoke  Aunt  Love  be 
seechingly.  "  If  I  was  ever  good  to  you,  if  you 
ever  liked  my  cookies,  tell  me  the  truth.  Was 
that  all  hocus-pocus,  or  was  it  genuine  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  was  genuine,  Aunt  Love.  It  is  done 
every  day  in  business." 

"Well,"  Miss  Berry  stepped  off  energetically. 
"  All  is,  then,  I  Ve  capped  the  climax  o'  my  life. 
I  don't  calc'late  to  ever  call  anything  wonderful 
again." 

But  she  did.  Page  took  her  upstairs  to  the 
gallery  where  a  door  opened  by  magic  when  her 
foot  touched  the  threshold;  where  the  tel-auto- 
graph  reproduced  a  writer's  chirography  while 
transmitting  his  thoughts ;  where  a  metal  rod,  pass- 


A   MASSACHUSETTS   CELEBRATION.          209 

ing  along  a  person's  spine,  caused  blue  flames  to 
leap  forth,  crackling  and  spitting  in  Mephisto 
phelean  fashion,  a  cure  which  Miss  Berry  thought 
worse  than  any  known  disease.  She  saw  there, 
too,  the  smallest  steam-engine  in  the  world,  repos 
ing  its  miniature  perfection  in  a  walnut  shell,  and 
displaying  its  exquisite  mechanism  only  beneath  a 
magnifying  glass. 

But  the  cooking  of  food  and  the  hatching  of 
chickens  by  electricity  appealed  to  Aunt  Love  so 
engrossingly  that,  after  repeated  vain  efforts  to 
woo  her  away  from  both  these  attractions,  Page 
finally  took  his  leave  of  her  there,  and  his  parting 
view  showed  Miss  Berry  gazing  through  the  side 
of  an  incubator  where  chicks  were  in  every  stage 
of  existence,  from  the  first  thrust  of  a  yellow  beak 
through  the  eggshell,  to  the  freed  and  bedraggled 
little  wretch  whose  sole  aim  in  life  seemed  to  be  to 
half  hop  and  half  tumble  across  the  incubator  until 
its  wet  body  rested  directly  upon  an  incandescent 
light.  These  eventful  journeys,  with  their  appar 
ently  suicidal  goal,  so  absorbed  Miss  Berry  that 
she  could  do  little  more  than  wave  her  hand  after 
Page  as  he  set  briskly  off  for  pastures  new. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE    BRONZE    BABY. 

i 

SOMEBODY  says  that  we  only  really  live  when 
we  do  not  know  that  time  is  passing.  If  that  be 
true,  Miss  Berry  lived  intensely  during  the  period 
she  passed  in  the  gallery  of  the  Electricity  Build 
ing  that  afternoon. 

"  I  wonder  how  late  it  is !  "  she  asked  herself  at 
last  with  a  start.  "  The  folks  '11  think  I  'm  lost. 
I  must  hurry  home  directly." 

But  she  sighed  as  she  said  it.  To  "  hurry  home  " 
from  this  city  of  magnificent  distances  was  but  a 
form  of  words. 

"  If  I  could  only  borrow  the  wings  off  'n  some 
o'  those  angels  ! "  she  murmured  as  she  hastened 
down  the  nearest  flight  of  stairs ;  but  doubtful  as 
she  was  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  she  could  not 
keep  her  mind  from  straying  back  to  the  strange 
scenes  in  the  miniature  world  she  had  been  watch 
ing.  Next  the  incubator  had  been  a  little  sandy 
inclosure  in  the  midst  of  which  stood  a  small 
curtained  house  where  the  young  chickens  could 
be  brooded  at  will,  and  across  whose  front  ran  the 
defiant  legend,  "  Who  cares  for  mother  now !  " 

"  I  wonder  how  soon  electricity  '11  take  the  place 
o'  folks,"  she  mused.  "  Seems  if  't  won't  take  long. 


THE  BRONZE  BABY.  211 

Yes,  yes,"  she  went  on  in  answer  to  a  faint  peep 
ing  that  came  from  beneath  her  wrap,  "  we  '11  get 
home  some  time  to-night,"  and  she  hurried  faster 
still,  a  pleased  smile  breaking  over  her  face  5  for 
Aunt  Love  was  not  alone.  She  had  at  the  pres 
ent  moment  one  of  those  emancipated  chicks  in  a 
pasteboard  box  pressed  to  her  side. 

"I  believe  I'll  take  the  Internal  Road,  and 
then  the  cars,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  There  '11  be 
an  awful  crowd  at  Sixtieth  Street,  but  I  can  stand 
consid'able  squeezin'.  I  know  I  'm  late." 

She  was  late.  Not  that  it  mattered.  She  was 
to  dine  in  solitary  state  that  evening  in  any  case  ; 
but  she  had  meant  to  reach  the  house  in  time  to 
carry  the  information  of  Mr.  Page's  arrival  and 
his  plan  to  meet  his  friends ;  and  in  this  she  was 
disappointed.  Only  Blitzen  was  left  at  home  to 
give  her  his  customary  boisterous  greeting,  and 
she  had  before  her  the  difficult  task  of  explaining 
and  introducing  to  him  her  ball  of  yellow  fluff 
and  impressing  its  sacredness  upon  his  volatile 
mind. 

Jack  was  the  first  to  arrive  at  the  rendezvous 
that  evening,  and  to  his  satisfaction  Mildred  was 
second.  She  sauntered  up  to  the  steps  accompa 
nied  by  a  young  army  officer  at  whom  Jack  stared 
down  from  his  post  on  the  balcony.  He  had, 
however,  sufficient  self-control  to  swallow  his  dis 
content.  Mildred  had  somehow  taught  him  this 
self-control  in  the  short  space  of  a  week,  and  he 
managed  to  walk  to  meet  her  with  an  air  of  noncha- 


212  SWEET  CLOVER. 

lance  suited  to  that  with  which  she  slowly  mounted 
the  steps  after  dismissing  her  escort. 

"  Who  is  the  military  ?  "  he  asked  lightly. 

"  A  cousin  of  Helen  Eames.  He  has  been  show 
ing  us  over  the  Battle  Ship." 

"  Indeed  ?     I  was  there  this  afternoon  too." 

"  Were  you  ?  It  is  awfully  stuffy  down  below 
in  that  museum,  is  n't  it  ?  Our  party  was  glad  to 
retreat  to  a  private  room  and  have  a  sherry  cob 
bler.  Everything  is  beginning  to  be  crowded 
now." 

"  What  interests  me,"  said  Jack,  placing  a  chair 
by  one  of  the  tables  for  Mildred  as  he  spoke,  "  is 
to  know  how  soon  you  are  going  to  give  me  a  day." 

"  Oh,  any  time,"  returned  the  girl  as  she  seated 
herself. 

"  Any  time  !  That  is  what  you  always  say,  but 
when  I  try  to  pin  you  down  you  slip  away." 

"  Would  n't  anybody  ?  "  smiled  the  other.  There 
was  something  about  the  curves  at  the  corners  of 
Mildred's  upper  lip  and  its  downward  dip  in  the 
middle  that  made  her  smile  more  provoking  than 
other  girls'. 

"  There  !     You  are  slipping  away  again." 

"  No,  indeed.  I  am  far  too  tired  and  this  is  too 
comfortable." 

"  You  have  had  an  engagement  every  day  since 
I  have  been  here.  You  can't  deny  it.  What  sort 
of  a  way  is  that  to  treat  a  guest  ?  " 

"You  aren't  my  guest,  you  are  Clover's." 

"  Clover  is  a  daisy  and  always  was,"  exclaimed 


THE  BRONZE  BABY.  213 

Jack,  regardless  of  paradox.  "  She  is  the  sweetest 
girl  in  the  world." 

"  Of  course,"  returned  Mildred,  raising  a  glass 
of  water  to  her  lips  as  coolly  as  though  she  liked 
this. 

"  I  ought  to  have  gone  with  you  that  first  even 
ing,"  said  Van  Tassel  gloomily. 

Mildred  set  down  her  glass  and  looked  at  the 
speaker  with  an  unfathomable  expression  as  she 
spoke  slowly :  — 

'  '  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men 
Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  '  "  — 

"  "Would  it,  Mildred  ? "  Jack  broke  in  with  a 
sort  of  earnest  excitement.  "  Would  it  have  led 
on  to  fortune  ?  " 

The  girl  colored  under  the  glowing  gaze. 

"  If  I  had  gone  with  you,  would  you  have  had 
fewer  engagements  and  more  time  for  me  since 
then?" 

"  How  can  I  tell  ?  "  she  returned,  with  a  low 
laugh  of  enjoyment.  Jack  was  fairly  dramatic. 
He  was  really  entertaining. 

"I  didn't  know  exactly  what  my  feeling  was 
then  ;  but  I  knew  afterward,"  he  went  on.  "  Og- 
den  was  n't  any  part  of  our  past.  I  did  n't  want 
to  share  you  with  him  that  night." 

"  He  did  n't  want  to  share  me  with  you  either, 
so  you  were  both  satisfied,"  returned  Mildred  de 
murely. 

"  Was  he  satisfied  ?  "  asked  Van  Tassel  savagely. 


214  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Methinks  not.  I  notice  that  whatever  your 
engagements  have  been  this  week,  he  has  not  been 
in  them." 

"  How  observing  you  are  !" 

"  Yes.  He  is  done  for.  It  would  be  interesting 
to  know  how  many  scalps  that  makes,  Mildred." 

"  Look  here,  Jack,"  the  girl  was  not  smiling,  and 
her  eyes  darkened  as  she  met  his ;  "if  you  will 
practice  conservation  of  energy  now,  I  will  give 
you  a  capital  opportunity  to  air  your  talents  in 
amateur  theatricals  next  winter.  You  are  the 
very  man  we  have  been  looking  for." 

"  Can  I  make  love  to  you  ?  " 

"  That  depends  011  your  versatility." 

"  Or  my  patience  in  standing  in  line.  I  've  been 
standing  in  line  all  the  week.  Don't  you  think  it 
is  about  time  I  got  there  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  call  this  ?  "  Mildred  gave  him 
a  tantalizing  glance  from  under  her  half -dropped 
lids.  "  I  arrive  early  at  the  rendezvous.  We  sit 
tete-a-tete,  and  how  do  you  make  use  of  the  time  ?  " 

Color  flashed  all  over  Jack's  face. 

"  I  am  a  fool,"  he  agreed. 

"  That  must  be  why  you  always  speak  the  truth 
so  indiscreetly.  I  never  thought  of  that  as  the 
reason,  really.  Now  let  us  decide  what  to  order  be 
fore  Clover  comes.  What  can  make  her  so  late  ?  " 

The  fact  was  that  Clover,  wanting  to  stop  a 
minute  to  look  at  some  pieces  of  old  china  and 
silver  in  the  Louisiana  house,  had  had  the  usual 
curious  experience  in  World's  Fair  minutes.  In  a 


THE  BRONZE  BABY.  215 

city  of  enchantment,  how  could  it  be  expected  that 
sixty  seconds  should  be  of  the  conventional  length? 
She  had  set  aside  plenty  of  time  also  just  to  walk 
through  the  middle  of  the  Art  Building ;  and  as 
every  woman  knows,  it  was  always  impossible  to 
pass  so  near  "  The  Young  Athlete  "  without  paus 
ing,  if  but  for  a  brief  acknowledgment. 

Gorham  Page  had  just  been  admiring  the  bronze, 
and  had  stepped  aside  to  look  at  the  photographs 
on  a  neighboring  table  when  Clover  advanced.  He 
was  short-sighted,  and  she  wore  an  Eton  suit  and 
a  sailor  hat,  the  garb  of  ninety-nine  out  of  every 
hundred  women  in  the  summer  of  '93  ;  but  he  knew 
her  at  once,  and  paused.  After  a  moment's  watch 
ing  he  approached  her. 

She  colored  faintly  with  surprise  as  she  returned 
his  greeting. 

"  The  subtle  differences  in  the  nature  of  man  and 
woman  are  more  interesting  than  the  obvious  ones," 
he  said. 

"  What  are  you  leading  up  to  now  ?  "  she  asked. 
"  I  expected  your  first  words  to  be  an  explanation 
or  an  apology,  or  both.  How  does  it  happen  that 
this  is  the  place  where  we  first  meet  ?  " 

"  You  were  very,  very  kind,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel, 
and  I  hope  I  assured  you  of  my  appreciation  in  my 
letter ;  but  I  found  I  could  get  a  room  at  the  hotel 
near  you,  and  then  affairs  taking  a  favorable  turn 
I  left  Boston  suddenly,  and  none  too  soon ;  none 
too  soon  ;  I  have  been  here  all  day.  How  stupen 
dous  it  is !  You  are  on  your  way  to  the  Marine 
Cafe.  May  I  go  with  you  ?  " 


216  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Oh,  you  have  seen  Jack,  or  my  sister." 

"No." 

"  Then  how  comes  it  that  you  are  so  well  in 
formed  ?  " 

"Happily  for  me,  I  ran  across  Aunt  Love." 

"  Oh,  that  explains  her  prolonged  absence  per 
haps.  Usually  it  is  hard  for  us  to  persuade  her  to 
spend  a  whole  day  down  here.  We  must  hurry  a 
little,  I  think."  Clover  laughed.  "Hurrying  is 
the  normal  condition  of  people  who  try  to  keep 
appointments  at  the  Fair." 

They  threaded  their  way  amid  groups  and  figures 
in  plaster  and  marble,  and  emerged  from  the  south 
ern  entrance. 

"  What  I  started  to  speak  of  when  I  first  met 
you  was  the  contrast  of  a  man's  and  woman's  way 
of  approaching  that  bronze,"  said  Page.  "  I  went 
up  to  it  and  especially  noticed  the  muscles  and 
veins  of  the  man's  hand  and  the  truthful  way  the 
fingers  sink  into  the  flesh  of  the  baby  it  supports. 
You  approached  it  and  took  hold  of  the  baby's 
hand  and  patted  his  leg.  Now  why  did  n't  I  want 
to  pat  that  little  fellow's  fat  leg? " 

"I  give  it  up,"  laughed  Clover.  "I  can  only 
say  you  had  very  poor  taste." 

"  No,  there  is  a  deep  reason  for  the  difference. 
Of  course  it  is  a  woman's  nature  to  pet  a  baby." 

"  What  a  deep  discovery !  I  congratulate  you 
on  the  result  of  your  explorations.  Do  you  think 
you  shall  write  a  book  about  it  ?  " 

"  I  amuse  you,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel." 


THE  BRONZE  BABY.  217 

"  Yes,  you  do,  I  won't  deny  it."  Clover  was  a 
trifle  ashamed  of  having  been  caught  in  her  loving 
ebullition  toward  the  soft  bronze,  and  was  willing 
to  laugh  it  away. 

"  Still  it  is  interesting,"  Page  went  on  musingly, 
"  to  observe  how  affection  is  outward  with  women 
and  inward  with  men." 

"  That  does  n't  sound  complimentary  to  us,  Mr. 
Page.  I  hope  you  mean  well." 

Gorham's  pensive  eyes  met  her  merry  ones. 
"  Yes.  I  revere  the  wise  arrangement  by  which  it 
takes  a  man  and  a  woman  to  make  one  complete 
being;  and  the  more  I  observe  and  understand 
refined  human  nature,  the  more  I  think  I  see  the 
possibilities,  and  what  it  was  intended  that  mar 
riage  should  be.  You  are  a  good  walker,  Mrs. 
Van  Tassel." 

"Yes;  I  am  thinking  how  impatient  Mildred 
and  Jack  will  be  with  me.  I  will  give  you  a  sub 
ject  for  your  analytical  mind.  Make  a  record  of 
the  broken  appointments  at  the  World's  Fair  and 
discover  the  reasons  for  them.  You  would  have 
a  psychological  study  of  absorbing  interest." 

"  All  phases  of  human  nature  are  interesting." 

"  Even  that  where  vials  of  righteous  wrath  are 
poured  out  upon  you  for  delinquency  when  you 
know  you  have  n't  any  defense  to  offer  ?  You  are 
my  defense  this  time." 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  say  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  would  n't  trust  you  to  say  anything.  I 
am  morally  certain  that  you  would  tell  the  truth." 


218  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"That  isn't  so  very  damaging,  is  it?" 

"  Why,  certainly.  You  would  tell  them  that  I 
stopped  to  make  love  to  the  bronze  baby ;  and  if 
Mildred  heard  that,  hungry  as  she  is  by  this  time, 
you  would  soon  have  to  formulate  exceptions  to 
your  rule  that  women  are  all  affection  outwardly. 
By  the  way,  what  a  fortunate  experience  yours  must 
have  been." 

Page  smiled  philosophically,  and  looked  approv 
ingly  at  his  light-footed  companion. 

They  arrived  at  the  cafe  shortly  after  Mildred 
had  directed  her  companion's  attention  to  the 
menu,  and  the  apparition  of  the  unexpected  guest 
entirely  diverted  from  Clover  any  comment  upon 
her  tardiness. 

The  cordiality  of  his  welcome  pleased  Page. 
He  could  not  know  the  reason  for  the  nervous  en 
ergy  of  his  cousin's  greeting.  The  four  sat  for  an 
hour  at  table  and  then  took  their  way  by  boat  to 
the  Court  of  Honor,  where  they  remained  in  the 
launch  during  the  playing  of  the  fountains.  Clover, 
sitting  next  Page,  watched  his  attitude  toward  this 
first  view  of  the  evening's  spectacle  with  some  curi 
osity. 

He  caught  her  amused  gaze  once  as  it  rested 
upon  him. 

"  Sumptuous !  Delicate  !  Wonderful ! "  he  said, 
breaking  a  long,  absorbed  silence. 

"  What  ?  "  returned  Clover.  "  But  you  have  n't 
suggested  yet  going  down  beneath  the  electric  foun 
tains  to  find  out  the  why  and  the  how  of  it  all ;  and 


THE   BRONZE  BABY.  219 

I  am  sure  you  will  not  rest  until  you  have  been  on 
the  roof  of  the  Manufactures  Building  and  made 
friends  with  the  man  who  manipulates  the  search 

light.- 

"No."  Page  smiled  vaguely  and  shook  his  head. 
"  I  do  not  want  to  go  behind  the  scenes." 

"  Then  the  Court  of  Honor  is  a  wonderful  place," 
said  Clover. 

"Poetical!     Marvelous!"  gasped  Page. 

A  gondola  decked  with  soft  lanterns  stole  by. 
One  gondolier  swept  his  oar  lazily  through  the 
water,  the  other  stood  with  his  hand  caught  in  his 
bright  sash,  and  poured  forth  the  "  Dammi  encor  " 
from  "  Faust "  with  true  musical  intensity. 

Again  Clover  and  Page  looked  into  one  another's 
eyes,  but  there  was  no  badinage  this  time  in  her 
glance.  It  was  a  place  of  dreams.  Showers  of 
golden  mist  fell  beneath  the  stars.  The  massive 
buildings  softened  away  into  distant  shadowy  sug 
gestion.  The  sculptors'  creations  shone  out  thrill- 
ingly. 

In  heavenly  beauty  stood  the  Agricultural  Hall 
with  its  foreground  of  gleaming  water,  the  pure 
white  of  its  columns  defined  against  the  tempered 
rose-color  of  its  inner  wall,  —  a  vision  glowing  and 
pure ;  as  far  above  its  sister  palaces  in  beauty  as 
its  use  was  set  apart  from  theirs ;  for  here  were 
displayed  the  works  of  God  rather  than  the  imper 
fect  marvels  of  man's  handiwork. 

Amid  the  majestic  splendor  of  the  night  rolled 
the  passionate  appeal  of  the  gondoliers'  love-song, 


220  SWEET   CLOVER. 

become  an  impersonal  voice  now  as  the  boats  drifted 
apart.  Little  wonder  that  Page  forgot  to  be  ab 
stractly  analytical,  and  that  the  soft  spontaneous 
sympathy  of  his  companion's  eyes  exercised  en 
chantment  borrowed  from  the  environment.  He 
smiled  upon  her  with  a  bright  tenderness  which 
transfigured  his  thoughtful  face. 

For  a  long  time  they  were  silent,  but  when  he 
gave  her  his  hand  as  she  stepped  from  the  launch, 
he  spoke  out  of  the  depths  of  his  enjoyment :  — 

"  That  was  a  never-to-be-forgotten  experience 
for  me." 

"  I  think  no  one  ever  forgets  his  first  evening 
in  the  Court  of  Honor,"  returned  Clover. 

"Well,  what  are  we  going  to  do  now?"  asked 
Mildred,  as  they  ascended  the  steps.  "  My  !  How 
the  wind  has  sprung  up  from  the  lake.  They  will 
hardly  dare  to  have  the  fireworks." 

"  Then  let  us  take  a  brisk  constitutional  home," 
proposed  Jack. 

"Come,  children.  Follow  your  leader,"  com 
manded  Mildred,  turning  and  addressing  Clover 
and  her  companion. 

"  Hurry  her  by  the  chocolate  houses,  Jack,"  said 
Clover ;  "  that  is,  if  you  can." 

"He  can't,"  returned  Mildred.  "I  have  my 
eye  on  Baker's  now." 

She  insisted  that  they  all  stop  and  partake  of 
the  cup,  more  potent  than  tea  to  cheer  when  the 
east  wind  blows,  served  by  the  pretty,  uniformed 
girls,  who  by  this  time  in  the  evening  were  in- 


THE  BRONZE  BABY.  221 

clined  to  be  pessimistic  and  severe,  small  blame 
to  them.  They  must  easily  believe  that  the  hu 
man  body  is  largely  liquid. 

Leaving  the  little  circular  temple,  the  quartette 
started  up  the  lake  shore  on  the  stone  walk.  The 
dark  waves  were  tumbling  and  dashing,  tipped 
with  foam  in  the  sudden  gale.  The  battle-ship 
and  large  excursion  boats  were  gay  with  electric 
lights. 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel !  "  exclaimed  Page.  "  See 
the  search  light  on  the  Quadriga."  They  turned 
to  view  the  group  with  its  mounted  heralds  and 
champing,  prancing  horses,  distinct  and  unearthly 
fair  in  the  surrounding  blackness. 

"  Could  we  walk  home  backward,  do  you  think  ?  " 
he  asked. 

"  No,"  replied  Clover.  "  I  can  answer  with  cer 
tainty,  for  I  've  tried  it  more  than  once." 

" 1  suppose  we  do  in  course  of  time  get  past  the 
Manufactures  Building  ?  What  an  incomprehen 
sible,  colossal  thing  it  is." 

"  Yes,  a  good  deal  more  so  to  me  now  than  it 
was  a  month  ago." 

"  Have  mercy ! "  exclaimed  Page  with  a  groan. 

Mildred  and  Jack  were  walking  in  front  of 
them. 

"Isn't  this  like  old  times,  Mildred?"  asked 
the  latter  with  a  relish,  clapping  his  hat  on  tighter 
as  the  sweep  of  the  wind  threatened  it. 

"  Just  about  as  unlike  as  we  could  imagine. 
Sorry  to  disagree  with  you,  Jack." 


222  SWEEl^   CLOVER. 

"  Don't  mention  it.  You  don't  disagree  with 
me,  my  child.  I  have  enjoyed  this  first  evening 
with  you  immensely." 

"  First  evening  is  pretty  good,  is  n't  it  ?  "  sug 
gested  the  girl,  and  they  both  laughed.  "You 
didn't  use  to  quarrel  for  my  society,"  she  added. 

"  I  want  you  to  understand  that  I  was  n't  quar 
reling  with  you  there,  a  few  hours  back,  at  the 
Marine  Cafe." 

"Oh!" 

"  No,  I  was  merely  making  the  excusable  protest 
of  an  old  friend,  —  speaking  in  a  brotherly  way, 
you  know." 

"  Oh,  it  won't  do,  Jack."  He  knew  exactly  how 
she  was  smiling  in  the  darkness.  "  It  is  my  unal 
terable  rule  never  to  be  a  sister  to  any  of  them. 
I  can't  break  over  it  for  you." 

"  Them !  "  ejaculated  her  companion.  "  I  don't 
thank  you  to  class  me  with  Tom,  Dick,  and  Harry, 
and  the  rest  of  these  late  arrivals.  Remember,  I 
was  the  first-comer  into  your  friendship." 

"  You  were  a  pretty  good  sort  of  fellow." 

"  Yes ;  you  probably  can't  conceive  of  what 
a  healing  thought  it  is  to  me  now  that  I  have 
snubbed  you  many  a  time,  young  lady.  I  had  to. 
Your  attentions  were  so  persistent  in  those  days. 
Yes,  mademoiselle,  I  had  to  hold  you  off,  or  I 
should  never  have  had  any  peace  of  my  life.  I  re 
member  it  well.  Perhaps  you  don't." 

"Oh  yes,  I  do,  perfectly,"  sighed  Mildred. 
"Wasn't  the  Flirt  the  stanchest  little  dear  that 


BABY. 


223 


hink  that  is  all  over ! 
+ ion  over  going  with 
morrow  as  I  used 
.ic  that  I  should  sail 

y  officer?" 

.6  very  nice.     I  should  like  you 
Lf  I  knew  him  a  little  better  I  would 
^red  you  an  invitation.     You  should  re- 
jr  that  virtue  is  its  own  reward.     If  you  had 

j  preferred  smoking  in  the  hammock  to  coming 
into  the  parlor  and  making  yourself  agreeable 
the  other  evening  when  Helen  Earnes  and  her 
mother  were  calling,  they  would  surely  have 
asked  you  to  join  the  party.  '  If  you  would  be 
loved,  be  lovely.'  That  is  what  my  mother  used 
to  tell  me."  Mildred  laughed  to  herself. 

"  Then  why  don't  you  obey  her  ?  "  returned  Jack 
curtly. 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  loved,"  returned  the  spoiled 
girl.  "  I  'm  loved  too  much  already." 

After  this  they  marched  in  silence  for  a  time, 
their  springy  steps  carrying  them  by  the  foreign 
buildings,  Ceylon,  France  with  its  green,  fountain- 
sprayed  court,  Spain,  and  Germany.  It  was  not 
until  they  turned  beside  Iowa's  pavilion  and  left 
behind  them  the  waves  dashing  on  the  sea-wall  that 
Mildred  spoke  again. 

"  It  gives  me  the  blues,  Jack,  every  time  I  see 
our  boathouse  stranded  high  and  dry  behind  that 
nightmare  of  a  Spectatorium." 


224  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  can  call  anything  dry  that 
is  as  full  of  beer  as  that  is." 

"  Oh,"  exclaimed  the  girl  indignantly,  "  what 
a  fall  from  its  old  estate !  To  think  of  our  play 
house  being  turned  into  a  saloon !  Do  you  remem 
ber  the  dance  it  was  christened  with?  I  was 
allowed  to  go,  and  you  made  me  perfectly  happy 
by  waltzing  with  me  once." 

"  Humph  !  "  returned  the  other.  "  And  now  it 
is  a  great  question  whether  you  would  make  me 
perfectly  happy  by  waltzing  with  me  once." 

"  Oh,  Jack,"  Mildred  laughed  out  now.  "  don't 
be  cross.  Don't  grudge  a  girl  her  4  little  brief 
authority.'  My  observation  of  life  has  taught  me 
that  her  queenship  is  brief  enough.  She  blossoms 
out  of  awkward  childhood  into  an  attractive 
womanhood,  and  then  after  a  little  space  yields  up 
her  sweet  liberty  to  some  lord  of  creation  whom 
she  has  to  pacify  and  wait  on  ever  afterward. 
Moral:  Let  her  keep  her  authority  as  long  as 
possible." 

"  You  seem  to  have  been  rather  unfortunate  in 
your  married  masculine  acquaintance,"  returned 
Van  Tassel  drily. 

A  sudden  thought  sent  the  color  flying  to  Mil 
dred's  face,  and  her  customary  complacent  poise 
was  shaken. 

"  There  was  one  exception,"  she  said,  so  timidly 
and  meekly  that  her  companion  was  struck  by  the 
change ;  but  she  had  not  the  courage  to  be  more 
specific,  and  there  was  no  need.  Jack  understood 
her. 


THE  BRONZE  BABY.  225 

When  the  four  reached  home  they  found  Miss 
Berry  in  the  sitting-room  reading  by  the  light  of  a 
lamp. 

Blitzen  was  sitting  on  a  rug,  and  did  not,  as 
usual,  run  to  meet  them.  On  a  chair  reposed  a 
bird-cage  with  some  white  stuff  in  it. 

"What  is  this,  Aunt  Love?"  asked  Clover. 
"  Have  you  some  new  pets  ?  " 

"  I  've  got  one,"  returned  Miss  Berry,  smiling 
placidly.  "  I  '11  give  you  all  three  guesses.  It 's 
a  World's  Fair  souvenir." 

"  Tell  us,  Blitzen,"  said  Mildred,  kneeling  on 
the  rug  beside  the  small  dog  and  shaking  his 
tousled  head ;  but  Blitzen,  as  soon  as  he  could  free 
himself,  withdrew  in  unwonted  dignity.  Evidently 
there  was  that  within  him  to-night  which  could  not 
brook  flippancy. 

"A  live  souvenir?"  asked  Clover,  perplexed. 

"  Mr.  Gorham  can  guess,"  remarked  Miss  Lo- 
vina,  glancing  again  down  the  columns  of  her 
newspaper,  and  shaking  in  a  comfortable  silent 
laugh. 

"I?"  said  Page;  then,  after  a  moment's  cogi 
tation,  "You  surely  didn't  bring  home  one  of 
those  chickens  ?  " 

"  I  did.  In  that  cage,  my  dears,  there  is  an 
electric  chicken."  Miss  Berry  looked  over  her 
spectacles  impressively.  "The  same  power  that 
runs  the  inter-internal  railroad  and  shines  in 
the  rainbow  fountains,  don't  disdain  to  hatch  a 
chicken.  If  you  doubt  it,  there  's  the  chicken." 


226  SWEET   CLOVER. 

She  gestured  .toward  the  bird-cage. 

"  I  brought  it  home  in  a  box  ;  and  I  said  to  my 
self  that  most  everybody  had  an  old  cage,  so  I 
went  up  garret,  and  there  I  found  that  one.  On 
Blitzen's  account  I  thought  best  to  use  a  cage  to 
night."  Her  gaze  descended  on  the  terrier,  who.se 
head  descended  beneath  it. 

"  Blitzen,"  asked  Jack  with  deliberate,  stern 
solemnity,  "  what  do  you  think  of  the  chicken  ?  " 

Blitzen  rose  with  a  crushed  air,  and  slowly,  as 
one  who  would  not  attract  attention,  crept  across 
the  room  and  retired  under  a  remote  sofa. 

A  shout  of  laughter  followed  his  unostentatious 
disappearance. 

"  We  've  had  some  words,"  explained  Aunt 
Love.  "  He  barked  cruel  at  the  poor  little  thing 
when  he  first  saw  me  with  it." 

"  Have  it  out,  have  the  chicken  out,"  said  Mil 
dred  ;  and  Miss  Berry,  yielding  to  the  general 
urgency,  produced  her  prize  from  the  depths  of 
the  cotton  wool.  It  began  to  struggle  and  peep 
vigorously  as  soon  as  its  beady  eyes  saw  the  light, 
and  there  came  a  muffled  howl  from  under  the 
sofa. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  name  it  ? "  asked 
Clover. 

"I  don't  know  what  name  would  be  good 
enough  for  such  a  smart  critter." 

"  Why,  Electra,  of  course,"  remarked  Jack. 
"Nothing  less  for  such  a  star  among  chickens." 

"  Sounds   well   and    suitable,"    observed    Miss 


THE  BRONZE  BABY.  227 

Berry  placidly,  "  whether  it   means   anything   or 
not." 

"  I  wonder  if  it  has  any  unusual  springs,"  said 
Mildred.  "  If  I  should  touch  the  button  do  you 
suppose  it  would  give  us  a  rest  ?  "  She  advanced 
a  finger  toward  one  of  the  bright  eyes,  but  Miss 
Berry  removed  her  squeaking  prize  from  harm, 
and  tucked  it  away  again  in  the  cotton  from  which 
it  struggled  several  times  before  finally  settling 
down  with  a  diminuendo  of  peeps. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 
CLOVER'S   DIPLOMACY. 

MR.  and  Mrs.  Page  arrived  duly,  even  a  little 
earlier  than  they  had  at  first  anticipated.  Jack 
met  them  at  the  station  and  drove  with  them  to 
their  destination. 

"  You  see  it  was  simply  impossible,  Mrs.  Van 
Tassel,  for  my  wife  to  curb  her  impatience  after 
Gorham  began  to  write  home,"  said  Mr.  Page  to 
his  hostess  in  explanation  of  their  change  of  plan. 
"  Gorham  does  n't  very  often  gush,  as  perhaps 
you  know." 

"  And  I  assure  you  that  Mr.  Page  was  not  diffi 
cult  to  persuade,"  added  Hilda.  "  Your  last  kind 
letter  determined  us.  And  I  am  really  in  Chi 
cago  !  "  she  went  on,  looking  about  her.  "  Jack, 
congratulate  me  ! " 

"  I  do,  sincerely.  I  think  you,  Hilda,  will  ap 
preciate  your  advantages." 

Mr.  Page  gave  his  contagious,  quiet  chuckle. 
"  That  is  the  way  he  goes  on,"  he  said,  turning  to 
Mildred.  "  Jack  is  very  severe  on  me  always.  I 
am  going  to  show  you,  Miss  Bryant,  several  lists 
of  adjectives,  carefully  prepared,  very  carefully 
and  thoughtfully,  one  for  every  day  in  the  week, 
that  I  am  intending  to  use  on  the  World's  Fair  to 
mollify  my  cousin." 


CLOVER'S  DIPLOMACY.  229 

"  You  might  have  trusted  safely  to  the  inspira 
tion  of  the  moment,"  returned  Mildred  gayly. 

"  Oh,  you  don't  know  Jack.  One  single  false 
move,  one  expletive  out  of  place,  and  it  would  be 
all  over  with  me." 

"  Poor  Kobert,  I  feel  for  you,"  remarked  Van 
Tassel. 

"  Why,  that  is  mysterious,"  replied  his  cousin. 
"  Anybody  who  compassionates  me  just  now  does 
n't  understand  economizing  his  emotions."  The 
speaker  sank  back  in  his  roomy  wicker  chair  and 
took  a  glass  of  lemonade  from  a  salver  which  Miss 
Berry  was  passing  to  the  company.  The  crushed 
ice  jingled  pleasantly  against  the  crystal,  and  the 
couple  of  straws  that  emerged  from  each  glass  were 
alluring  to  a  stout  and  thirsty  man.  "  Aunt  Love, 
it  is  very  pleasant  to  see  you  here,"  he  added. 
"  We  shall  have  to  renew  our  old  acquaintance. 
We  had  no  time  in  Boston." 

"  That 's  so,  Mr.  Page.  I  guess  I  can  jog  your 
memory  about  a  good  many  things." 

When  later  the  husband  and  wife  were  shown 
to  their  own  room  and  the  door  was  closed,  Robert 
looked  at  Hilda  with  large  eyes.  "  Whew !  "  he 
said  softly.  "  Uncle  Richard  was  all  right.  What 
pretty  women  !  " 

"  I  told  you  so.  I  told  you  that  Mildred  was  a 
perfect  Juno,  and  that  you  were  very  unfortunate 
to  be  out  of  town  when  she  spent  that  week  with 
me  at  the  beach.  As  for  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  "  — 

"  Why,  she  's  an  angel,  —  she  's  an  angel !  I 
knew  it  from  her  letter.  I  felt  it  in  my  bones." 


230  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  As  if  you  knew  anything  about  your  bones,  you 
dear  old   cushion.     Stop  praising   those    girls,— 
calling  one  a  goddess  and  one  an  angel.     Come 
and  apostrophize  the  lake.     Is  n't  it  beautiful  ?  " 

"  It  was  you  who  called  Miss  Bryant  a  goddess? 
remember.  Yes,  this  is  every  bit  as  good  as  the 
ocean,  for  all  I  see,"  walking  to  the  window  and 
putting  an  arm  around  his  wife's  waist.  "  We  are 
in  great  luck,  Hilda,"  continued  Page,  glancing 
about  their  spacious  room.  "  This  is  n't  much  like 
the  discomforts  we  read  about  in  connection  with 
World's  Fair  visiting.  I  don't  wonder,"  he  added 
after  a  pause,  "  that  Jack  was  cut  up  by  being  at 
cross  purposes  with  those  girls." 

"  H'm.  There  is  one  exhibit  I  have  come  out 
here  to  see  that  is  n't  inside  the  White  City," 
returned  Hilda.  "  I  Ve  come  to  discover  which 
one  of  them  Jack  is  in  love  with." 

"Both,  of  course.  How  can  he  help  it?"  re 
plied  her  husband  promptly. 

Gorham  took  it  upon  himself  to  launch  his 
brother  and  sister  on  their  Fair  pilgrimage  that 
very  evening. 

When  they  came  home  again,  hours  later,  Clover 
and  Jack  were  sitting  alone  in  the  parlor  and  rose 
to  meet  them  as  they  entered  the  room.  Their 
tired,  excited  faces  were  a  study. 

Hilda  dropped  into  a  chair.  u  Well,"  she  ex 
claimed,  "  I  never  expected  to  go  to  heaven  till  I 
died  ;  but  I  Ve  been  there." 

"  Jack,"   added   Kobert    meekly,   "  get  in  your 


CLOVER'S  DIPLOMACY.  231 

fine  work  now.  I  Ve  nothing  to  say,  absolutely 
nothing.  I  Ve  dropped  my  jaw  so  often  since 
six  o'clock  that  it  is  n't  in  working  order,  any 
way." 

"  Say  no  more,"  returned  Van  Tassel,  waving 
his  hand  grandiloquently.  "  We  Chicagoans  are 
nothing  if  not  magnanimous." 

"  I  thought  I  knew  what  I  was  going  to  see, 
that  is  the  queer  part  of  it,"  said  Page,  looking 
perplexed  ;  "  but  it  seems  I  did  n't  know  anything 
at  all  about  it.  I  feel  there  is  an  unlimited  feast 
in  store  for  me,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel." 

Clover  smiled  at  his  enthusiastic  tone.  "You 
are  in  the  first-day  frame  of  mind,  I  see." 

"What  is  that?" 

"  Oh,  eagerness  and  hopefulness." 

"  And  what  is  the  second  ?  " 

"  Despair ;  yes,  overwhelming,  stony  despair." 

"  What  is  the  third  ?     Suicidal  tendency  ?  " 

"  No  indeed.  Resignation.  At  first  one  expects 
and  determines  to  see  everything  ;  soon  finds  that 
to  be  so  impossible  that  he  yields  to  his  bewilder 
ment,  and  at  last  accepts  the  inevitable  and  sets 
himself  to  see  what  he  can,  and  be  rapturously  con 
tent  therewith." 

"Thank  you,  thank  you!  Forewarned,  fore 
armed.  Perhaps  we  may  even  skip  the  second 


A  few  days  later,  Clover,  her  guests  having 
scattered  on  various  quests,  went  to  the  noon  orches 
tral  concert  in  Festival  Hall.  This  wonderfully 


232  SWEET   CLOVER. 

generous  free  exhibit  attracted  a  large  audience, 
many  of  whom  embraced  it  as  an  opportunity  to 
rest  from  the  fatigues  of  sight-seeing,  while  many 
others,  coming  perhaps  from  the  country  where 
"  hearing  a  band "  was  a  rare  privilege,  were 
drawn  thither  by  the  hope  of  attractive  music. 

Possibly  one  half  the  number  came  intelligently 
to  the  feast,  and  greeted  the  conductor  when  he 
entered  upon  the  stage.  Clover  joined  in  the  ap 
plause  as  Theodore  Thomas  passed  before  his 
players  with  that  quiet,  characteristic  grace,  which 
has  power  to  thrill  with  anticipation  a  greater 
number  of  America's  music-lovers  than  the  move 
ment  of  any  other  man. 

It  interested  her  as  it  had  many  a  time  before, 
this  summer,  to  note  the  effect  upon  certain  of  the 
audience  of  the  number  with  which  the  programme 
opened.  She  saw  pleased  hopefulness  give  way  to 
apathy  in  many  faces,  as  strange  harmonies  and  dis 
sonances  fell  upon  uncultivated  ears.  She  noticed 
one  patient-faced  countryman  who  waited  through 
two  numbers,  evidently  discovering  nothing  but  a 
wilderness  of  sound.  He  then  examined  his  pro 
gramme,  and  not  finding  "  After  the  Ball "  on  it, 
arose  and  departed  from  the  hall  more  in  sorrow 
than  anger. 

Blessings  on  the  man,  by  the  way,  who  introduced 
the  noiseless  paper  on  which  those  programmes 
were  printed.  There  were  two  girls  sitting  next  to 
Clover,  chewing  gum  while  they  listened  for  some 
melody  they  could  recognize,  and  Clover  congrat- 


CLOVER'S  DIPLOMACY.  233 

ulatecl  herself  that  all  the  foldings  and  drummings 
of  their  programmes  were  inaudible ;  but  alas,  as 
soon  as  the  maidens  discovered  that  the  music 
they  were  hearing  was  unworthy  the  name,  they 
cheerfully  set  about  doing  the  next  best  thing, 
which  was  to  prepare  for  the  afternoon's  campaign. 
This  was  a  free  concert  anyway,  so  no  matter  if  it 
was  n't  worth  much.  They  would  not  leave  at  once, 
because  this  was  a  better  place  to  rest  than  they 
would  be  likely  to  find  soon  again ;  so  they  un 
folded  their  maps  of  the  grounds,  not  printed  on 
absorbent  paper,  far  from  it,  and  proceeded  to  dis 
cuss  their  plans. 

Clover  caught  sight  of  Jack  standing  across  the 
hall.  He  discovered  her  at  the  same  moment. 
His  concentrated  look  flashed  into  a  smile  as  they 
exchanged  nods. 

At  the  close  of  the  number  he  came  around  to 
where  Clover  sat  in  the  front  row  of  the  circle,  and 
leaned  his  arm  011  the  railing  in  front  of  her. 

"  How  handsome  Jack  can  look,  when  he  is 
happy  and  interested,"  she  thought,  and  instantly 
became  aware  that  her  neighbors  had  ceased  their 
planning,  and  were  nudging  each  other  in  silent 
absorption. 

"  Was  n't  that  great !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Are 
you  going  over  to  the  Music  Hall  this  after 
noon  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  am.  They  are  going  to  play  the 
Tschaikowsky  Symphony." 

"That  settles  it.      Suppose  we   go   up   in   the 


234  SWEET  CLOVER. 

wheel  after  lunch,  and  then  go  over  to  the  concert 
together." 

"  All  right.  I  'd  like  to.  Why,  there  is  Mil 
dred  on  the  left,  down  there  near  the  front.  I 
didn't  know  she  was  coming." 

"  Nor  I.     Shall  I  go  and  speak  to  her  ?  " 

In  a  minute  Jack  was  back,  just  as  the  music 
began  again.  The  girls  who  had  constituted  the 
thorn  in  Clover's  side  during  the  first  half  of  the 
programme  had  left  their  seats  as  soon  as  he  moved 
away,  so  he  came  in  and  took  the  place  beside 
Clover. 

"Mildred  says  she  will  go  with  us,"  he  whis 
pered. 

When  the  Intermezzo  was  finished,  Clover  spoke. 

"  Did  you  ask  Mildred  to  join  us  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  No,  she  proposed  it,"  returned  Jack,  and  there 
was  a  pleasure  in  his  eyes  which  did  not  escape  his 
companion. 

"  You  mentioned  last  night  in  our  talk  that  you 
had  n't  seen  much  of  Mildred  since  you  came  ;  that 
she  was  too  much  of  a  belle  for  your  comfort." 

44  Yes.  It  is  simply  surprising  to  find  her  here 
alone." 

Clover's  eyes  twinkled.  She  had  mentioned  to 
her  sister,  this  morning,  that  she  meant  to  meet 
Jack  at  the  noon  concert. 

"  Well,  you  leave  her  to  me.  No  matter  what  I 
say,  don't  contradict  me.  Promise?  " 

44  What 's  up  ?  "  asked  Van  Tassel  doubtfully. 

44  Oh,  Mildred's  conceit  and  a  few  other  things 


CLOVER'S   DIPLOMACY.  235 

that  ought  to  come  down.  I  want  you  to  myself  a 
part  of  the  time,  Jack." 

Her  companion  met  her  laughing  glance. 

"I  am  yours  to  command,  Clover,  always." 

"  Don't  forget,  then,"  she  answered. 

When  the  concert  was  over,  Mildred  came 
slowly  up  the  aisle,  superb  as  usual  in  her  con 
sciously  unconscious  carriage. 

"  Well,"  she  said  to  her  sister  as  they  met, 
"  where  are  we  to  lunch  ?  " 

"  Are  you  going  to  lunch  with  us  ? "  asked 
Clover  in  well-affected  surprise. 

"  Of  course  I  am,"  returned  the  younger  with  a 
half -pouting  smile  flung  at  Jack  ;  "  and  I  am  go 
ing  in  the  Ferris  Wheel  with  you  too.  I  have  n't 
been  up  in  it  yet." 

"  Why,  I  don't  see  how  you  possibly  can,  Mil 
dred,"  said  Clover  coolly.  "  I  heard  you  promise 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Page  to  meet  them  in  the  Art  Gal 
lery  at  two  o'clock,  and  show  Mrs.  Page  some  of 
our  favorite  pictures." 

Mildred  expected  some  protest  from  Jack,  and 
was  disconcerted  that  none  came.  "  I  only  told 
them  that  if  I  was  at  the  south  entrance  at  two 
o'clock  I  would  act  as  their  cicerone,"  she 
answered. 

"Well,  my  dear,  having  said  so  much,"  sug 
gested  Clover  gravely,  "  I  think  the  least  you  can 
do  is  to  be  there,  considering  that  they  are  our 
guests." 

Still  Jack  did  not  interfere.     Mildred  could  not 


.236  SWEET   CLOVER. 

forbear  hurling  one  glance  at  him  from  beneath 
her  eyelashes,  but  it  might  have  been  a  gaze. 
Van  Tassel  was  absently  viewing  the  dispersing 
audience. 

Her  eyes  and  cheeks  burned  as  they  had  on  the 
night  he  refused  to  accompany  her  to  witness  the 
fireworks,  but  as  on  that  occasion  she  carried  the 
matter  with  a  high  hand. 

"  Very  well,  then  you  have  lost  my  company  at 
lunch,  too.  You  and  Jack  would  be  sure  to  make 
me  late,  dawdling  at  table.  Au  revoir,"  and  as 
they  nodded  to  her,  she  swept  away. 

Clover  looked  at  her  companion  and  tried  to 
repress  the  mirthful  laugh  that  bubbled  over  her 
lips. 

"Jack,  you  wouldn't  be  human  if  you  hadn't 
enjoyed  that." 

"  Then  I  must  be  inhuman,"  he  responded 
rather  ruefully,  "for  I  give  you  my  word  I'm 
scared  almost  to  death." 

"  Don't  you  worry,  mon  ami ;  I  know  Mildred 
to  the  depths  of  her  noble,  generous,  overbearing, 
over-indulged  soul." 

"  I  don't  suppose  you  realize,  Clover,"  Van 
Tassel  spoke  low  and  jerkily,  "  but  I  care  very 
much ;  absurdly  much,  you  might  think,  consider 
ing  the  shortness  of  the  time." 

Clover  looked  into  his  flushed  face,  and  the 
merriment  in  her  sweet  eyes  was  quenched. 

"  Dear  Jack,"  she  said,  laying  her  hand  lightly 
on  his  arm,  "  whatever  you  wish,  I  wish.  Trust 


CLOVER'S  DIPLOMACY.  237 

me.  No  harm  has  been  done.  Do  you  want  my 
advice,  —  the  advice  of  one  who  knows  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do." 

"  Then  don't  let  Mildred  suspect  what  you  have 
told  me.  The  round  world  is  just  a  rattle  to  her 
now.  You  are  one  of  the  bells  on  it  that  jingle 
for  her  amusement  when  she  moves  you.  There 
are  Katherines  in  existence  still,  and  Petruchios 
are  wholesome  teachers  for  them." 

"  Imagine  me  cracking  a  horsewhip  at  Mil 
dred!" 

"  Out,  please !  "  roared  a  Columbian  Guard, 
exasperated  by  the  sight  of  these  two  loiterers, 
after  the  remainder  of  the  audience  had  drifted 
away.  "  As  if  there  was  n't  any  other  place  on 
the  grounds  to  spoon  but  just  this,"  he  muttered. 

Mildred,  to  her  credit  be  it  said,  devoted  her 
afternoon  to  Mrs.  Page  with  as  cheerful  courtesy 
as  though  she  bore  no  grudge  in  her  mind  against 
the  world.  Mr.  Page  left  them  together  and  went 
off  somewhere  under  his  brother's  guidance.  It 
was  nearly  dinner-time  when  he  drove  up  to  the 
house  in  a  Beach  wagon,  and  found  Mildred 
swinging  idly  in  a  hammock  on  the  piazza. 

"  Your  wife  is  taking  a  nap,"  she  announced,  as 
he  came  up  the  steps. 

"  Fortunate  woman ! "  he  responded,  sinking 
wearily  upon  a  wicker  divan.  "  The  only  interest 
I  've  had  for  hours  in  any  exhibit  was  as  to 
whether  there  was  a  chair  in  it ;  but  Gorham  is  a 
terrible  fellow.  Merciless.  Each  building  being 


238  kWEET  CLOVER. 

one  thousand  miles  from  every  other  building 
makes  it  hard  lines.  I  threatened  more  than  once 
to  trip  over  one  of  those  chains  that  say '  Keep  off 
the  grass,'  and  refuse  to  get  up  again." 

"  You  and  your  brother  should  have  taken  one 
of  those  double  chairs." 

"  Oh,  there  would  n't  have  been  any  room  for 
Gorham,"  and  the  jolly  man  laughed.  "I  sup 
pose  you  have  done  the  Plaisance." 

"  Partly,  yes." 

"  Gorham  and  I  went  into  the  Dahomey  village, 
this  afternoon.  Some  of  those  savages  were 
unpleasantly  personal.  Good  afternoon,  Aunt 
Love,"  as  the  housekeeper  appeared  on  the 
veranda.  "  I  was  just  telling  Miss  Mildred  how 
those  children  of  nature  in  the  Dahomey  village 
injured  my  finer  feelings  to-day.  One  of  them 
came  for  me  with  a  big  carving  knife,  yelling  '  Big 
man,  fat  man,'  and  going  through  the  pantomime 
of  taking  a  slice  off  my  sacred  person." 

"  Dirty  critters  !  "  remarked  Miss  Berry  sen- 
tentiously. 

"  Is  n't  it  a  funny  paradox  to  see  an  incan 
descent  light  over  the  door  of  each  hut  ?  "  went 
on  Page.  "  There  was  one  big  fellow  squatted 
down  in  the  sun,  off  by  himself,  playing  on  a 
rough  sort  of  a  harp,  and  singing  monotonously 
something  that  sounded  like  c  Come  away,  come 
away,  Chicago.'  I  tried  to  write  down  the  pitches 
he  sang,  and  that  amused  him  immensely.  His 
ivories  would  have  made  a  perfect  dentist's  sign. 


CLOVERS  DIPLOMACY.  239 

I  gave  him  a  dime  or  so  to  repeat  the  perform- 
anee^  a  sufficient  number  of  times,  and  he  was 
delighted,  and  kept  saying  '  Chicago  beer.'  ' 

"  Yes,"  returned  Miss  Berry  bitterly.  "  They 
have  to  come  to  a  Christian  land  for  that." 

"  Wait  till  you  see  the  South  Sea  Islanders," 
said  Mildred. 

"  We  did.  Fine,  are  n't  they  ?  There  is  an 
exhibition  of  drill  and  muscle  worth  seeing." 

"  And  that  cafe-au-lait  skin  ! "  exclaimed  Mil 
dred.  "  I  am  entirely  spoiled  for  white  beauties." 

"  Let  'em  wear  somethin'  more  '11  a  straw  wreath 
and  a  piece  o'  calico  then,"  remarked  Miss  Berry. 

"  But  Aunt  Love,"  suggested  Page,  "  you 
must  remember  how  clothing  that  brown  skin  is. 
I  am  sure  you  must  admit  it  is  an  improving  sight 
to  see  one  of  those  heavy-eyed  beauties  sit  cross- 
legged,  and  absently  scratch  one  great  toe  while 
she  sings." 

"What  are  you  all  laughing  about?"  asked 
Hilda,  coming  out  upon  the  piazza  in  the  freshness 
of  a  light  organdie  gown. 

"  Your  husband  has  been  to  the  Midway," 
returned  Miss  Berry.  "  Don't  be  surprised  at  any 
thing  he  may  say  or  do ;  and  I  don't  believe  wre  'd 
better  wait  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  any 
longer,  for  dinner  was  ready  when  I  came  out 
here." 

"  I  don't  understand  Clover's  staying  so,"  re 
marked  Mildred,  leaving  the  hammock  and  trying 
not  to  speak  severely. 


240  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"I  go,  I  fly,  to  make  myself  presentable," 
said  Page,  slowly  dragging  himself  up  from  his 
comfortable  resting-place. 

After  dinner  Mildred  made  an  opportunity  to 
address  the  housekeeper  privately.  k'  For  pity's 
sake.  Aunt  Loye.  \vheii  you  are  going  to  speak 
of  Jack  and  Clover  as  you  did  this  evening,  don't 
say  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Tassel." 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  Miss  Lovina  with  exasper 
ating  unconsciousness. 

"  Why,  it  sounds  so  —  so  —  absurdly  married/' 

Miss  Berry  smiled.     *•  What  shall  I  say  then  ?  " 

"  Mrs.  and  Mr.  Van  Tassel,  of  course,"'  replied 
Mildred,  making  an  effort  to  speak  with  a  suavity 
she  did  not  feel. 

"  Well,  if  that  ain't  a  new  idea.  Mrs.  and  Mr.  ! 
Do  tell !  "  said  Miss  Berry  good-naturedly.  "  Oh, 
I  '11  learn  a  deal  of  etiquette  to  take  back  to  Pear- 
field.  It 's  enough  to  do  a  body  good  to  see  Mr. 
Jack  and  your  sister  so  much  to  each  other,  ain't 
it  ?  Seems  if  they  have  lots  o'  pleasure  together 
now;  just  as  it  should  be." 

"  I  don't  know  that  they  are  together  so  very 
much,"  returned  Mildred  coolly. 

"  That 's  'cause  you  're  off  so  much  o'  the  time. 
Why,  they  're  just  the  best  friends  that  ever  was  ; 
and  Mrs.  Van  Tassel,  she  's  gone  back  before  my 
eyes  from  a  grave  woman  full  o'  care  to  a  merry 
girl  just  as  free  as  a  bird.  It  does  me  good.  Miss 
Mildred.  It  does  me  so  much  good,  I  'm  'most 
afraid  I  shall  grow  fat  on  it." 


CLOVERS  DIPLOMACY.  241 

Mildred's  bright  eyes  looked  thoughtful  for  a 
second,  as  though  she  were  digesting  the  house 
keeper's  words.  "There  is  Blitzen,  barking," 
she  exclaimed,  and  both  hastened  to  see  whether 
Electra's  nervous  system  was  receiving  some  fresh 
shock. 

Gorhani  Page  strayed  over  from  the  hotel,  as 
was  his  habit  after  dinner,  and  found  the  family 
disposed  in  various  comfortable  chairs  and  ham- 
mocks  about  the  piazza. 

The  autocratic  Miss  Bryant  was  feeling  a  trifle 
sore,  although  she  did  not  dream  of  acknowledg 
ing  to  herself  that  it  was  because  Clover  and  Jack 
still  remained  away,  and  in  the  present  sensitive 
state  of  her  self-love  it  was  a  new  affront  that  Gor- 
ham  did  not  at  once  seek  her  side,  but  after  bow 
ing  to  her.  settled  down  beside  Mrs.  Page,  who 
closed  the  book  she  was  reading  upon  her  finger 
as  a  marker. 

"  Yes  indeed,  the  afternoon  was  delightful,''  she 
said,  in  answer  to  his  question.  4*  Mildred  and  I 
had  a  charming  time  among  the  pictures.  You 
nearly  committed  fratricide.  Do  you  see  poor 
Eobert  fast  asleep  over  there  ?  " 

"  This  will  do  him  a  world  of  good.  Train 
down  his  flesh,  and  strengthen  his  muscle  ;  though 
the  poor  old  chap  did  say,  before  we  decided  to 
come  home,  that  he  had  walked  so  long  his  feet 
splayed  out  like  the  camels'  every  time  he  set  them 
down.''  Page  laughed  reminiscently. 

"  Camels  ?     Did  you  go  into  Cairo  Street  ?  " 


242  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"No,  to  the  Bedouin  village;  the  Wild  East 
show." 

"Very  well.  You  have  just  saved  your  lives. 
I  understand  that  Cairo  Street  is  one  of  the  plums 
of  the  Plaisance,  and  if  Robert  had  gone  without 
me,  I  should  have  been  highly  offended." 

"  Yes,  he  is  well  trained.  I  wonder  if  my  wife 
will  find  me  as  thoughtful.  I  am  afraid  not." 

Hilda  laughed  at  the  sincere  meekness  of  his 
tone.  "  No,  I  'm  sure  she  won't,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  you  will  never  have  one." 

"  I  should  be  sorry  to  think  that." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  do  as  nine  out  of  every 
ten  men  in  your  place  would  do  ?  " 

"  You  mean  fall  in  love  ?  You  know,  Hilda, 
how  often  I  've  done  that." 

Mrs.  Page  laughed  again  at  the  gently  remon 
strant  tone.  "  Your  sort  of  falling  in  love  is  n't 
worth  two  straws,"  she  declared  scoffingly.  "  Don't 
take  that  into  consideration  at  all.  The  next  wo 
man  you  meet  who  satisfies  you  intellectually,  pro 
pose  to  her.  If  she  accepts  you,  marry  her.  I 
don't  believe  you  would  make  her  very  unhappy. 
You  would  n't  if  you  were  as  kind  a  husband  as 
you  are  a  brother." 

"  Thank  you.  You  might  give  me  a  written  re 
commendation.  See  how  handsome  Miss  Bryant's 
face  looks  against  that  golden  pillow." 

"  Yes ;  it  is  a  proof  of  your  hard  heart  that  you 
withstand  her." 

"  I  don't  withstand  her.     You  have  no  idea  how 


CLOVER'S  DIPLOMACY.  243 

much  I  enjoyed  an  afternoon  I  had  with  her  at  the 
Fair  last  week ;  but  Jack  was  remarkably  short 
with  me  that  evening,  and  I  fancied  I  had  tres 
passed  on  his  preserves." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.  He  must  be  a  dog  in  the  man- 
ger." 

"  Why,  I  'm  very  sure  he  is  hard  hit  in  that 
direction." 

"  Oh,  where  are  a  man's  eyes,  I  wonder !  I 
have  n't  been  here  very  long,  but  long  enough  to 
discover  the  truth." 

"  I  suppose  you  want  me  to  ask  you  what  truth  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't,  my  dear."  Mrs.  Page  reopened 
her  book. 

"You  are  not  hinting  at  —  at  —  Mrs.  Van 
Tassel?  "  Gorham  spoke  in  a  hushed  tone. 

"  Just  observe  for  yourself,"  said  Hilda  senten- 
tiously. 

"  You  ought  not  to  have  such  a  thought." 

Mrs.  Page  looked  up,  wondering  at  this  severity. 
"  Why,  if  you  please  ?  You  surely  have  n't  an  idea 
that  that  young  creature  is  going  to  sacrifice  the 
rest  of  her  life  to  a  memory  of  duty  done  ?  " 

"  But  Hilda,  that  is  repugnant ! "  Page  rose 
suddenly,  and  his  sister's  gaze  followed  him  as  he 
moved  away.  It  was  very  unusual  for  him  to  show 
so  much  feeling.  "  Would  n't  it  be  a  strange, 
strange  thing  if  after  waiting  all  these  years 
Gorham  should  love  at  last  and  love  hopelessly  ?  " 
She  banished  the  query  with  a  sigh.  Sober  second 
thought  assured  her  that  her  brother  had  not  meant 


244  SWEET  CLOVER. 

more  than  he  said.  The  idea  that  Jack  might  wish 
to  marry  his  father's  widow  was  distasteful  to  him, 
and  that  was  all. 

Page  approached  Mildred,  little  realizing  how 
indefensible  she  considered  it  that  he  had  not  done 
so  some  minutes  previous.  She  was  too  glad  of  his 
presence,  however,  to  punish  him.  It  would  never 
do  for  Jack  to  come  home  and  suppose  that  she  had 
not  been  holding  court. 

"  What  beautiful  evenings  you  have  in  Chicago," 
he  began.  "  May  I  take  this  chair?  "  drawing  one 
near  the  hammock  in  which  she  was  sitting  against 
a  nest  of  pillows,  her  foot  touching  the  floor  gently 
as  she  rocked. 

"  Yes,  I  never  tire  of  seeing  the  moonlight  on 
the  water  as  it  is  shining  to-night.  When  I  was 
a  little  girl  it  was  a  great  treat  to  me  to  be  allowed 
to  spend  a  summer  evening  on  this  piazza,  and  I 
enjoy  it  scarcely  less  now." 

"You  enjoy  it  very  seldom,  I  observe.'' 

"  Yes,  of  course  there  are  lots  of  engagements 
this  summer,  and  a  quiet  evening  at  home  like  this 
seems  very  welcome  occasionally.  One  likes  too, 
sometimes,  to  renew  acquaintance  with  the  moon. 
After  living  among  rosy,  violet,  pale  green,  and 
white  search  lights,  and  all  sorts  of  spectacular  elec 
trical  effects  so  much,  one  comes  back  to  moon 
light  on  the  water  as  to  an  old  friend." 

The  girl  clasped  her  hands  above  her  head  upon 
the  down  pillow,  and  allowed  Page  to  look  at  her, 
which  he  was  not  slow  to  do. 


CLOVERS  DIPLOMACY.  245 

"  I  miss  your  sister  and  Jack,  this  evening. 
Where  are  they  ?  " 

"  Columbus  knows !  Since  the  authorities  have 
been  Barnumizing  the  Fair,  as  they  call  it,  one  is 
led  on  to  stay,  and  stay,  and  stay,  to  see  this  race 
or  that  dance  or  the  other  illumination.  I  left  them 
after  the  noon  concert." 

"  You  were  there,  then.  Of  course  you  are  fond 
of  music." 

"  I  enjoy  it  very  much,  although  Clover  says  I 
don't.  She  and  Jack  are  cranks  about  it.  I  am 
not." 

"  They  have  one  strong  predilection  in  common, 
then." 

Mildred  did  not  reply ;  and  Page  continued : 
u  The  effect  of  music  upon  a  person  who  is  in  sym 
pathy  with  it  is  an  interesting  study.  Those  invol 
untary  chills  that  pass  over  one  under  the  moving 
influence  of  good  music  are  rather  annoying  to  me. 
I  do  not  wish  to  be  moved  uncontrollably  by  any 
thing.  I  wish  to  decide  just  how  deeply  to  feel  on 
any  subject.  Do  you  know  what  I  mean  ?  " 

"  Yes,  exactly."  The  decision  of  the  girl's  reply 
rather  surprised  her  companion.  She  let  him  look 
deep  into  her  luminous  eyes  set  in  the  moonlight 
fairness  of  her  face.  "  And  further  than  agreeing 
with  you  in  the  desirability  of  the  principle,"  she 
added,  "  I  carry  the  theory  into  practice." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  are  always  able 
to  let  your  head  decide  what  your  heart  shall 
feel?" 


246  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Invariably." 

"  But  that  is  110  common  characteristic  in  a  wo 
man.  With  women  the  heart  speaks  first  usually." 

"  Not  in  the  case  of  the  well-balanced  woman." 

"Then  perhaps  you  can  tell  me,"  said  Page, 
much  surprised  and  interested,  "  perhaps  you  will 
be  good  enough  to  tell  me  what  your  ideas  are 
concerning  love.  There,  too,  do  you  think  it  pos 
sible  for  the  head  to  speak  first  ?  " 

Mildred  let  a  repressed  laugh  burst  its  bounds. 
"  Do  you  mean,  do  I  think  it  possible  to  fall  in 
love  head  first?" 

"  Forgive  me  if  I  ask  too  much  ;  but  it  seems  to 
me  very  helpful  to  compare  notes  with  one  whose 
aims  and  desires  are  similar  to  your  own." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mind  telling  you,  Mr.  Page,"  said 
the  girl,  sobering.  "  My  ideas  on  the  subject  are 
clearly  formulated,  and  I  know  of  no  reason  why 
I  should  not  impart  them  to  one  who  will  be  ap 
preciative.  I  believe  a  woman  can  decide  what 
characteristics  would  be  sympathetic  with  hers, 
and  when  she  is  sufficiently  acquainted  with  a  man 
to  discover  if  he  is  possessed  of  those  qualities,  she 
can  give  rein  to  her  heart,  and  love  him  "  —  the 
speaker  suddenly  extended  her  white  hands  before 
her  —  "  love  him  with  all  her  soul !  " 

The  sudden  thrill  in  her  movement  and  in  her 
low  contralto  voice  electrified  her  listener  by  its 
unexpectedness. 

"  But  can  one  always  love  where  the  head  dic 
tates  ?  "  he  asked ;  "  that  is  the  question." 


CLOVER'S   DIPLOMACY.  247 

"  Undoubtedly  ;  for  when  one  finds  the  combina 
tion  she  seeks,  she  will  discover  that  she  has  loved 
it  already.  I  will  tell  you,  Mr.  Page,  you  tempt 
my  confidence  because  you  captivate  my  judgment. 
I  will  describe  to  you  the  man  I  await.  He  must 
be  good  to  look  upon,  for  I  value  beauty  of  form  ; 
but  he  must  be  cool  and  steady  of  brain,  must  love 
to  think,  to  analyze,  to  look  upon  life  not  as  a 
plaything  but  as  something  the  laws  of  which  must 
be  studied  and  explored  continually.  Incidents 
which  appear  trifling  to  others,  to  him  will  sug 
gest  a  thousand  questions.  He  must  in  short  be  a 
student  of  human  nature  whose  researches  I  may, 
by-and-by,  as  I  grow  wiser,  assist.  Oh,  proud, 
happy  destiny!"  She  paused  as  though  over 
come,  and  grasping  the  sides  of  the  hammock 
looked  with  a  quick  turn  of  her  head  toward  the 
moonlight. 

Page  regarded  her  in  silence,  then  leaned  toward 
her  in  his  earnestness.  "  A  man  like  that  is  not 
found  every  day,  Miss  Bryant ;  but  I  congratulate 
you  on  your  high  standard  ;  for  the  being  you  de 
scribe  has  surely  a  great  heart  to  throb  for  hu 
manity  as  well  as  the  head  to  study  it,  and  your 
affections  will  not  be  starved,  I  am  sure  of  that." 

Mildred  grasped  the  hammock  closer  and  caught 
her  lip  between  her  teeth.  Page's  unconscious 
ness  had  turned  the  tables,  and  she  had  sufficient 
sense  of  humor,  in  spite  of  her  vanity,  to  make  it 
difficult  not  to  smile  as  he  walked  unseeing  around 
her  net,  and  it  fell,  enveloping  her  own  saucy  head. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   FERRIS    WHEEL. 

IT  was  half  past  nine  when  the  wagonette 
bringing  Clover  and  Jack  stopped  before  the 
house.  They  were  received  with  a  chorus  of 
questions,  in  which  Mildred  was  too  clever  not  to 
join.  She  was  glad  that  Van  Tassel  must  see 
Gorham  seated  near  her,  apart  from  the  others, 
confidentially  discoursing  in  the  moonlight,  even 
though  Jack  did  not  seem  to  observe  it.  He 
seated  himself  on  the  step  near  Mrs.  Page,  and 
leaned  against  a  railing. 

"  We  have  had  a  fine  time !  "  he  exclaimed  with 
what  Mildred's  practiced  ear  recognized  as  unmis 
takable  sincerity. 

"  Oh,  the  German  village  by  moonlight,  Milly !  " 
added  Clover,  taking  a  place  near  her  sister.  "  You 
really  ought  to  see  it." 

"  We  ought  to  have  been  there,  Mr.  Page,"  said 
Mildred  regretfully. 

"  I  doubt  if  I  could  have  had  a  pleasanter  even 
ing  anywhere,"  he  returned ;  and  if  Miss  Bryant 
had  had  power  to  decorate  him  she  would  have 
done  so  on  the  spot  for  that  timely  speech.  She 
trusted  Jack  had  heard  it. 

"  We  sat  there  at  table,  you  know,"  went  on 


THE  FERRIS   WHEEL.  249 

the  latter,  "  and  saw  the  moon  come  up  over  those 
quaint  old  gables.  Oh,  it  was  fine.  I  declare,  we 
did  n't  know  where  we  were.  Did  we,  Clover?" 

"  I  thought  you  were  quite  certain  by  the  alleged 
German  you  entertained  me  with." 

"  Alleged  German  !  Well,  if  this  is  n't  sad  ! 
There  I  wasted  Heine's  poems  by  the  yard  on  you. 
Ungrateful  girl !  You  will  never  know  all  the 
sweet  things  that  were  said  to  you  to-night." 

" 1  know  you  drank  a  lot  of  beer  and  smoked 
too  many  cigars." 

"  Of  course,  being  in  Rome  I  complimented  the 
inhabitants  by  imitation." 

"  Mr.  Jack,"  spoke  Miss  Berry  reproachfully,  "  I 
remember  well  that  you  said  once  you  only  smoked 
on  holidays  and  birthdays." 

"  Certainly,  A  unt  Love,  that  is  my  rule  still.  I 
never  break  it." 

"  Whose  birthday  is  this  ? "  demanded  Miss 
Berry,  somewhat  taken  back. 

"How  should  I  know?  Somebody's,  surely." 
Jack  looked  up  innocently.  "  I  never  show  favor 
itism." 

"  Oh !  "  groaned  Gorham,  rising.  "  I  can't  stay 
here.  Discipline  him,  Aunt  Love.  I  am  going 
to  my  uncontaminated  roof -tree." 

"Let  us  all  take  Gorham  home,"  suggested 
Jack,  also  rising.  "  I  'm  afraid  to  be  left  here 
with  Aunt  Love's  righteous  wrath.  Come,  all  of 
you.  Nobody  is  too  tired  to  walk  to  that  music." 

For  the  band  on  the  hotel  piazza  was  playing 


250  SWEET   CLOVER. 

the  Washington  Post  March,  which  by  midsummer 
was  running  neck  and  neck  with  "  After  the  Ball." 

"  Come,  Robert,"  said  Hilda,  shaking  the  som 
nolent  form  in  the  hammock. 

"  Hey  ?  What  ?  Don't  disturb  me.  I  can  die 
here  as  well  as  anywhere.  What!  Walk  home 
with  Gorham  ?  Do  you  take  me  for  an  idiot  ? 
Music  and  moonlight !  "  with  deep  scorn.  "  Oh, 
go  to !  Woman,  stand  aside,  or  I  shall  do  you  an 
injury.  Don't  tempt  a  desperate  man." 

"  Dear  Robert  does  n't  seem  to  care  to  come 
with  us,"  laughed  Mildred  sotto  voce  to  Jack. 
She  was  determined  that  none  other  than  he  should 
walk  by  her  side  to  the  hotel,  and  of  course  she 
had  her  way. 

An  hour  later  she  came  into  Clover's  bedroom, 
brushing  her  long  hair.  Her  white  wrapper  fell 
open  at  the  neck,  disclosing  her  handsome  throat, 
and  she  looked  particularly  beautiful  to  her  partial 
sister. 

"  Where  else  did  you  and  Jack  go  to-night  be 
side  the  German  village?"  she  asked. 

"Nowhere." 

"  You  took  supper  there  and  stayed  all  the  even- 
ing?" 

"  Yes.  We  really  could  n't  tear  ourselves  away. 
It  was  like  being  in  some  romantic  old  story." 

Mildred  smiled  and  hummed  her  favorite  bit 
from  lolanthe. 

"  No  indeed,"  answered  Clover.  "  I  am  not  his 
mother.  He  does  n't  pretend  that  I  am,  and  he 


THE  FERRIS   WHEEL.  251 

does  n't  wish  me  to  be :  so  your  little  song  does  n't 
fit  the  case  at  all." 

She  did  not  look  at  her  sister,  but  went  on  with 
her  effort  to  braid  her  rebellious  hair.  Mildred 
ceased  humming. 

"  I  wish  my  hair  was  curly,"  she  said  at  last. 

"  We  all  have  our  gifts,"  replied  Clover.  Mil 
dred  thought  her  tone  sounded  unusually  compla 
cent.  It  was  a  novel  experience  to  feel  aught  but 
compassion,  or  tenderness,  or  reverent  admiration 
for  Clover,  but  now  she  suddenly  found  herself 
regarding  her  for  the  first  time  as  another  girl  like 
herself,  and  observing  her  attractions  with  new 
eyes. 

"  What  a  pretty  foot  you  have,  Clover,"  she 
said,  looking  at  her  sister's  slippered  feet. 

"  Not  a  bit  better  shaped  than  yours,  my  dear. 
Let  us  have  a  select  little  mutual  admiration 
society." 

"  But  mine  are  large,"  returned  Mildred,  sitting 
down  and  thrusting  forth  her  slippers  for  inspec 
tion. 

"  So  are  you,"  suggested  Clover. 

"  But  is  n't  it  strange  that  people  never  consider 
that,  in  speaking  of  a  woman's  foot?  She  must 
have  small  feet  irrespective  of  her  size,  or  else  they 
had  better  never  be  seen  or  mentioned.  In  old 
novels  a  man  sometimes  keeps  his  beloved's  slipper 
under  a  glass  case.  What  a  formidable  piece  of 
furniture  my  lover  will  have  when  he  gets  a  glass 
case  for  mine." 


252  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  Foolish  child !  You  are  proportioned  just 
right." 

"  Perhaps ;  but  what  I  say  is  that  the  consensus 
of  opinion  decides  that  I  ought  not  to  be.  Shoe 
men  fall  in  with  that  idea.  Dainty  shoes  are 
small  shoes.  I  tell  you  fame  and  wealth  awaits 
the  shoe-dealer  who  becomes  inspired  with  the  idea 
that  large  women  want  pretty  shoes  too." 

"  You  seem  to  have  made  Mr.  Page  have  a 
delightful  evening,"  remarked  Clover. 

"  Yes  ;  he  did  n't  ask  for  one  of  my  slippers, 
though.  Fancy  sterling  cousin  Page  ordering  a 
glass  case !  " 

Clover  smiled  in  answer  to  Mildred's  laugh. 

"  What  did  you  talk  about  ?  " 

"  Oh,  weights  and  measures,  as  usual.  I  was  n't 
in  the  mood  to  be  good,  and  I  tried  conscientiously 
to  make  a  fool  of  our  friend." 

"  Mildred !  " 

"  No  harm  done  ;  I  did  n't  succeed.  He  made 
one  of  me  instead.  This  has  been  what  you  might 
term  an  off  day  for  your  little  sister." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  How  did  he  make  a 
fool  of  you?"  Clover  turned  with  so  much  curi 
osity  in  her  gaze  that  Mildred  rose  quickly. 

"  I  '11  never  tell  you,  —  or  hardly  ever.  Per 
haps  when  we  are  both  married." 

Clover  turned  back  to  the  glass,  and  Mildred 
was  a  little  dismayed.  The  words  had  slipped  out 
unthinkingly.  Until  this  evening  she  had  agreed 
in  her  sister's  acceptance  of  the  fact  that  her  life 
could  not  be  like  that  of  other  girls. 


THE  FERRIS    WHEEL.  253 

"  Good-night,"  she  said,  standing  back  of  Clover 
and  meeting  her  eyes  in  the  mirror. 

"  Good-night,"  returned  the  other. 

Mildred  kissed  her  cheek.  "  Do  you  like  me  ?  " 
she  asked  softly. 

"  Pretty  well,"  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  smiled.  "  Lots 
better  than  you  deserve." 

The  younger  sister  went  to  her  room  satisfied. 
Arrogant  and  autocratic  she  might  be  to  her 
slaves,  but  Clover's  approval  was  the  necessary 
sunshine  in  which  her  life  blossomed. 

Van  Tassel  had  to  put  a  guard  upon  his  lips  in 
the  next  days.  He  was  trying  to  follow  Clover's 
advice  not  to  ask  Mildred  again  to  go  to  the  Fair 
with  him.  It  made  the  case  harder,  inasmuch  as 
he  could  not  help  feeling  that  now  she  expected  it. 
He  noticed  that  she  did  not  make  outside  engage 
ments  as  much  as  before ;  but  was  oftener  at 
home,  either  sitting  about  the  piazzas  in  gowns 
which  Jack  thought  the  most  becoming  that  ever 
girl  wore,  or  else  romping  with  Blitzen  and  pay 
ing  exasperating  attention  to  Electra,  who  was 
fast  developing  into  the  most  self-assured  and  ex 
acting  chicken  of  the  Columbian  year. 

The  following  sort  of  scene  was  sometimes 
endured  in  anguish  by  the  lover  who  was  disci 
plining  his  lady  to  order. 

Jack  was  one  morning  reading  the  newspaper 
on  the  piazza,  Mildred  sitting  in  the  hammock, 
and  Clover  and  Hilda  training  the  morning- 
glories. 


254  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Why  don't  I  go  to  the  Fair?  "  Mildred  said, 
addressing  the  lake,  resplendent  with  miles  of 
diamonds. 

Jack's  hand  closed  on  his  paper  in  his  longing 
to  accept  the  challenge ;  not  being  at  all  certain 
that  he  would  not  receive  a  negative  if  he  did, 
but  still  yearning  to  try  his  luck. 

"  Is  it  a  conundrum  ?  "  asked  Clover.  "  I  can 
give  a  guess,  if  you  like." 

"  Thank  you ;  you  're  always  so  kind,  dear. 
Come,  and  go  up  in  the  Ferris  Wheel  with  me, 
Clover.  If  you  will,  that  will  decide  me." 

"  I  could  n't,  really.  I  'm  glad  I  have  been. 
One  must  go,  of  course  ;  but  twice,  no,  I  could  n't." 
Clover  passed  near  Jack,  who  threw  an  imploring 
glance  at  her  behind  his  paper.  "  I  can  feel  my 
hair  whitening  !  "  he  murmured ;  but  Mrs.  Yan 
Tassel  frowned  warningly  upon  him. 

"  What  a  pity  you  did  n't  say  something  about 
it  before  Eobert  went,"  said  Hilda.  "  I  think  he 
means  to  go  in  the  wheel  to-day,  as  that  is  one  of 
the  things  I  can't  bring  my  mind  to  do." 

"  But  you  will  have  a  hundred  chances,  Milly 
dear.  Some  of  our  friends  are  always  going," 
added  Clover  comfortingly. 

"Oh,  don't  trouble  yourself,"  remarked  Mil 
dred  with  nonchalance.  "  I  assure  you  I  can  go 
when  I  like,"  and  she  rose  and  sauntered  into  the 
house,  followed  by  Hilda. 

Clover  laughed  softly  into  the  pink  lips  of  a 
morning  glory  which  she  held  in  her  hand. 


THE  FERRIS   WHEEL.  255 

"  This  may  be  very  good  fun  for  you,"  said  Van 
Tassel,  his  unread  paper  dropped,  "  but  let  me  tell 
you  it  is  making  an  old  man  of  me." 

"  Do  your  own  way  then,  Jack,  and  live  to 
repent  of  it." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  have  to  repent." 

"  Then  behave  as  though  you  had  some  back 
bone.  Remember  Petruchio." 

"  Oh,  that  will  do  to  say  !  Petruchio  was  mar 
ried." 

"  All  right.     I  wash  my  hands  of  you." 

"  No,  no,  don't,  Clover." 

Clover  took  pity  on  the  clouded  face. 

"  I  '11  give  you  a  little  bit  of  comfort,  Jack,"  she 
said,  gazing  down  at  him  knowingly. 

"  Angel !  " 

"  Oh,  it  is  only  a  wee,  wee  bit ;  but  Mildred  is 
uncomfortable. ' ' 

"I  should  think  that  was  wee,"  returned  Van 
Tassel,  his  face  falling. 

"  I  don't  know.  It  is  the  first  time  any  man 
ever  affected  her  that  much." 

"A  very  poor  recommendation,  I  should  think," 
remarked  Van  Tassel. 

"  Oh,  Jack,"  Clover  laughed,  "  I  can  see  you 
would  have  had  an  awful  time  without  me." 

"  I  am  having  an  awful  time  with  you,  Clover." 

"  Then  gang  your  ain  gait  any  time  " 

"  And  may  God  have  mercy  on  my  soul,  I  sup 
pose  you  mean,"  added  Jack  ruefully. 

It   was   his   habit   to   have  flowers  sent  to  the 


256  SWEET  CLOVER. 

house  almost  daily,  and  Clover  often  wore  his 
roses ;  Mildred  never.  Van  Tassel  asked  her 
once  if  she  never  wore  flowers,  and  she  answered 
indifferently  that  she  often  did. 

"  I  have  never  happened  to  see  you  with  any 
on,"  he  said. 

"  Indeed  ?  "  she  returned  with  one  of  her  char 
acteristic  smiles.  "  Then  that  must  be  because 
you  never  sent  me  any.  Now  don't  look  like  that. 
Jack.  If  you  should  send  me  flowers,  now,  do  you 
know  what  I  should  do  with  them  ?  " 

"  Pitch  them  out  the  window,  probably." 

"No  ;  for  that  would  disfigure  the  lawn,  and 
Clover  is  very  particular  about  the  lawn.  I 
should  present  them  to  Aunt  Love." 

So  Jack  only  gave  one  impotent  look  into  her 
starry  eyes,  and  continued  to  send  his  lavish  floral 
gifts  impersonally  to  the  house. 

But  one  morning  Mildred  came  down  with  some 
sprays  of  heliotrope  fastened  in  her  dress.  Van 
Tassel  was  delighted  ;  but  acting  with  blind  faith 
in  Clover,  he  'did  not  appear  to  notice  the  conces 
sion.  He  had  won  several  words  of  commendation 
from  his  mentor  for  the  manner  in  which  of  late 
he  had  been  playing  his  role.  He  had  even  called 
upon  Mildred's  friend,  Miss  Eames,  in  response  to 
the  latter's  invitation,  and  had  gone  with  her  one 
day  to  the  Art  Gallery,  and  after  coming  home 
praised  her  discriminating  and  intelligent  taste.  It 
seemed  to  him  an  eternity  since  he  had  asked  Mil 
dred  to  go  anywhere  with  him. 


THE  FERRIS  WHEEL.  257 

On  this  morning  she  waited  for  some  remark 
upon  her  decoration,  but  none  came.  Matters  had 
become  serious  if  such  condescension  was  not  going 
to  be  gratefully  received.  The  family  usually  saun 
tered  out  upon  the  piazza  after  breakfast,  and  Van 
Tassel  took  his  paper  with  him  to-day  as  usual. 
He  was  alive  in  every  nerve  to  the  fact  that  Mil 
dred  had  on  a  street  dress,  which  meant  the  Fair. 
He  wondered  profoundly,  as  he  always  did,  what 
her  plans  were  and  whom  she  was  going  with,  but 
he  gazed  unseeingly  into  his  paper,  and  was  dumb. 

All  of  a  sudden,  a  sort  of  electric  shock  seemed 
to  pervade  the  air  about  him.  Mildred  was  stand 
ing  at  his  side. 

"  Did  you  notice  how  perfect  this  heliotrope 
is  ?  "  she  asked,  looking  down,  not  at  him,  but  at 
the  blossoms  on  the  lapel  of  her  jacket. 

"  It  is  pretty,"  he  answered,  wondering  how 
soon  his  evil  star  would  lure  him  on  to  say  the 
wrong  thing. 

His  apparently  indifferent  manner  piqued  her 
still  further.  "  If  you  feel  very  good,  and  are  sure 
you  are  going  to  be  good  all  day,  I  will  give  you  a 
piece,"  she  said,  separating  one  spray  from  its 
fellows. 

Van  Tassel  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  in  a  second 
Mildred's  fingers  were  upon  his  coat. 

"  The  round  world  is  just  a  rattle  to  her,  and 
you  are  one  of  the  bells  on  it  that  jingle  when  she 
moves  you." 

Clover's  words  were  sounding  warningly  in  his 


258  SWEET   CLOVER. 

ears.  He  could  not  help  it.  He  only  prayed  to 
jingle  in  tune,  for  moved  he  was  to  the  depths  of 
his  being. 

"  You  like  heliotrope  very  much  ?  "  he  asked, 
not  daring  to  look  below  her  cool,  fair  forehead. 

"Yes.  Sometimes,  I  think,  best  of  all;  but," 
with  a  sigh,  "  it  goes  quickly."  And  she  dropped 
her  hands  and  moved  back. 

"  Like  all  the  happiest  moments  of  life,"  said 
Jack,  and  something  leaped  from  his  brown  eyes 
that  actually  surprised  Mildred,  coming  out  of  the 
long  train  of  indifferent  days. 

"  Oh,  if  Jack  is  like  that,"  she  thought,  and  a 
new  respect  grew  in  her  for  the  man  who  ruled 
himself,  and  refused  to  submit  to  her  caprice. 

"  It  is  a  clear  day,  Mildred.  Let  us  go  up  in 
the  Wheel,"  he  said.  "  Have  you  made  the  trip 
yet?" 

"  No,  but  I  have  a  new  idea  about  it.  I  'm  sure 
it  will  make  me  dizzy.  It  did  Clover ;  and  I 
think  I  shall  be  afraid,  too." 

"  Don't  give  up  going.  I  'm  sure  you  will  not 
be  afraid.  It  is  an  absolutely  steady,  safe  motion, 
and  the  changing  view  is  unique." 

"  No,  indeed  ;  I  would  n't  give  up  going,  only  I 
think  I  would  rather  go  alone.  I  don't  want  any 
one  to  behold  my  weakness." 

"  Oh,  very  well."  Van  Tassel  made  a  gesture 
of  indifferent  assent,  sat  down,  and  returned  to  his 
paper.  The  little  incident  of  the  heliotrope  had 
done  more  to  convince  him  of  Clover's  wisdom 


THE  FERRIS   WHEEL.  259 

than  all  her  sage  words.  Its  perfume  stole  up  to 
him  as  he  sat  reading  the  same  line  over  twelve 
times. 

Mildred  moved  away,  outwardly  calm,  inwardly 
vexed  with  Jack  for  his  ready  acquiescence. 

She  went  into  the  house  and  met  Clover.  "  Go 
ing  to  the  Fair?  "  asked  the  latter. 

44  Yes,  I  think  so." 

"  Wait  half  an  hour  or  so,  and  go  with  us." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  will  take  my  way,  for  I  am 
going  in  the  Wheel." 

"With  Jack?" 

"  No,  alone." 

"  Mr.  Page  wants  to  go  again.  Let  me  ask  him. 
He  is  upstairs  writing  a  letter." 

"  Don't  speak  to  him  for  anything." 

"  But  I  don't  want  you  to  go  to  the  Midway 
alone,  Milly.  Hilda  and  both  Mr.  Pages  and  I  are 
going  to  the  Anthropological  Building  together. 
Do  put  off  the  Wheel,  and  come  with  us." 

"  No,  I  thank  you.  Our  friend  Gorham  will  be 
in  his  element,  getting  your  mental  and  physical 
strength  tested  up  there  in  the  gallery.  I  would  n't 
be  in  that  revel  for  anything,"  and  Mildred  ran 
upstairs. 

Clover  passed  out  upon  the  piazza. 

"  Is  Mildred  going  to  the  Fair  ?  "  asked  Van 
Tassel,  looking  up  quickly. 

"  Yes.  I  do  wish  for  once,  Jack,  you  had  asked 
to  go  with  her,  for  she  is  bound  for  the  Ferris 
Wheel." 


260  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  I  did." 

"  And  she  refused  ?  "  exclaimed  Clover  in  sur 
prise  and  exasperation.  "  Was  there  ever  such  an 
incomprehensible  "  — 

"  But  she  gave  me  this."  Van  Tassel  exhibited 
his  flower. 

Clover  looked  interested.  "  Well,  then,  we  are 
getting  on,"  she  said,  much  pleased.  "  Go  on 
being  an  icicle,  Jack.  It  is  the  only  way.  Don't 
for  the  world  urge  her  to  let  you  accompany  her, 
even  though  I  don't  like  her  to  go  alone.  In  the 
first  place  she  would  only  retreat  as  you  advanced, 
and  in  the  second  it  would  probably  be  salutary 
for  her  to  stick  among  the  clouds  of  heaven  for  a 
few  hours,  so  I  won't  worry  about  the  Wheel." 

Jack  took  his  hat,  lying  on  the  chair  beside  him. 
"  I  think  I  will  go  on  down,"  he  said.  "  There  is 
a  bare  possibility,  you  know,  that  I  may  meet  Mil 
dred.  If  she  should  be  later  than  you  expect  in 
coming  home,  you  would  better  think  of  me  as 
being  the  trap  than  of  the  Wheel." 

"  You  won't  meet,"  sighed  Clover.  "  What  a 
foolish  girl  she  is !  " 

To  tell  the  truth,  Mildred  could  not  resist  a 
certain  suspicion  of  her  own  foolishness,  as  she 
emerged  upon  the  piazza  a  few  seconds  later, 
ready  to  start.  She  was  conscious  of  disappoint 
ment  that  Jack  was  not  in  sight.  It  was  a  warm 
day,  and  starting  off  alone  was  not  inspiriting. 
It  required  all  her  pride  to  pursue  her  intention. 

"You   won't    have   a  good    time,"   prophesied 


THE  FERRIS  WHEEL.  261 

Clover,  and  that  strengthened  her  waning  deter 
mination  ;  so  with  a  light  response  she  set  forth. 

The  Midway  was  a  seething  mass  of  humanity 
when  she  reached  it,  and  she  had  hardly  entered 
the  street  when  she  met  her  friend,  Helen  Eames. 
The  latter  greeted  her  eagerly,  and  began  to  talk 
about  an  entertainment  Mildred  had  attended 
recently  with  Jack  at  her  house. 

Helen  was  voluble,  and  Mildred  resented  the 
tone  in  which  she  spoke  of  Jack,  so  she  parted 
with  her  friend  as  soon  as  civility  permitted,  and 
passed  on. 

She  began  to  feel  that  she  was  doing  an  absurd 
thing,  to  be  forlornly  and  doggedly  pursuing  her 
way  among  the  motley  crowd,  to  the  monotonous, 
rhythmic  beat  of  drum,  and  the  sing-song  of 
strange  voices. 

Above  their  village  the  South  Sea  Islanders  were 
pounding  out  their  measures  from  a  hollow  log, 
and  across  the  road  the  daintier  Javanese  rang 
muffled  music  from  gongs  and  tinkling  bells. 
Scenes  and  sounds  had  grown  familiar  to  Mildred, 
but  to-day  she  found  neither  truth  nor  poetry  in 
them.  Indian,  Turk,  and  Bedouin  passed  her  by, 
but  she  kept  eyes  ahead  on  the  mammoth  wheel, 
circling  with  ponderous  deliberation.  All  she 
wished  was  to  keep  her  word,  take  the  skyward 
trip,  and  return  home. 

"  All  the  girls  are  delighted  with  Mr.  Van  Tas 
sel,"  Helen  Eames  had  said. 

"Silly   thing!     Does   she   suppose   I   will   tell 


262  SWEET  CLOVER. 

him  ?  "  thought  Mildred,  too  absorbed  in  her  own 
cogitations  to  note  the  "  vera  gooda,  vera  nice, 
vera  sheep,"  of  the  jewelry  venders,  the  stentorian 
exhortations  to  enter  the  dance  houses  and  thea 
tres,  or  the  incessant  "  hot !  hot !  hot !  "  of  those 
that  offered  the  thin  waffle-like  Zelabiah. 

Mildred  did  not  like  to  find  in  her  own  heart 
the  wish  that  Van  Tassel  had  been  with  her,  that 
Helen  Eames  might  see  him  in  his  proper  place 
this  morning.  She  must  indeed  have  fallen  from 
her  high  estate  if  she  could  wish  to  display  an 
admirer  to  another  girl.  All  men  were  her  admir 
ers.  It  had  been  a  foregone  conclusion  so  long 
that  she  had  never  been  obliged  to  harbor  a 
thought  of  jealousy  or  rivalry,  and  she  instantly 
challenged  and  condemned  this  novel  weakness. 

The  Midway  Plaisance  was  a  strange  place  for 
introspection,  yet  Mildred's  thoughts  were  suffi 
ciently  absorbing.  People  were  always  apt  to 
turn  and  look  a  second  time  at  her  exceptionally 
vigorous  young  beauty,  but  she  passed  on  to-day, 
totally  unconscious  of  the  glances  bent  upon  her. 

Might  it  be  true  that  she  had  finally  alienated 
Jack  by  her  persistently  capricious  treatment? 
"  All  the  girls  admired  him  !  "  He  did  not  fancy 
any  of  them,  she  was  sure.  If  he  cared  for  any 
woman,  it  was  Clover;  and  then  the  girl  coolly 
and  impartially  compared  her  gentle,  sympathetic, 
tender  sister  with  herself.  Mildred  possessed  a 
clear  head,  and  as  she  dwelt  upon  her  own  and 
Clover's  characteristics,  a  sermon  seemed  preached 


THE  FERRIS   WHEEL.  263 

to  her  amid  that  crowded  babel,  in  a  small  voice 
which  the  noisy  tongues  could  not  drown. 

"  Plow  would  it  be  possible  for  a  man  in  his 
senses  to  prefer  me  ? "  she  thought,  raising  her 
eyes  to  a  delicate,  bell-hung  minaret  that  pierced 
the  cloudless  sky.  This  novel  humility  impressed 
her  with  gravity. 

But  she  had  reached  her  destination.  She 
moved  up  with  the  line  to  the  ticket  office  that  lay 
directly  in  her  path,  and  bought  her  bit  of  paste 
board  mechanically.  In  a  moment  more  the 
movement  of  her  fellow-passengers  had  brought 
her  to  the  base  of  the  wheel.  Those  who  have 
stood  in  that  position  know  the  effect  of  looking 
straight  up.  Mildred,  already  feeling  small,  expe 
rienced  a  painful  physical  sense  of  being  over 
whelmed.  The  monster  had  paused  for  its  cars  to 
be  filled,  and  she  shrank  from  the  prospect  before 
her  with  unprecedented  sensations.  If  she  allowed 
herself  to  be  shut  up  in  that  glass  cab,  it  meant 
that  two  flights  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  sky 
ward  must  be  taken  ere  she  could  regain  her  lib 
erty. 

"  I  believe  I  am  trying  to  be  nervous,"  she  said 
to  herself  coldly.  "  I  did  not  know  I  was  speak 
ing  truth  to  Jack  this  morning." 

Oh,  if  only  she  were  not  the  vainest  and  most 
obstinate  of  girls,  this  trip  would  be  a  pleasure 
instead  of  a  pain  ! 

The  faint,  steady  color  in  her  cheeks  faded,  but 
she  walked  into  the  car  determinedly,  and  taking 


264  SWEET  CLOVER. 

one  of  its  swinging  chairs  looked  steadily  through 
the  glass  front.  The  seats  filled,  the  door  was 
closed,  and  the  scarcely  perceptible  motion  began. 

The  roof  of  the  next  car  began  to  swing  into 
view.  The  inexorableness  of  the  journey  began  to 
impress  itself  upon  Mildred's  mind.  She  was  try 
ing  to  turn  away  from  the  thought,  when  a  well- 
known  voice  set  her  beating  heart  to  throbbing 
faster. 

"  Why,  this  is  fortunate,"  it  said,  with  studied 
carelessness. 

She  started  and  lifted  her  eager  eyes.  There 
was  Jack  Van  Tassel  looking  down  upon  her, 
triumphant,  but  as  usual  uncertain  of  his  recep 
tion. 

It  has  been  said  before  that  Mr.  Van  Tassel 
was  a  good-looking  young  man ;  but  the  radiance 
which  seemed  to  Mildred  now  to  invest  every 
feature  of  his  face,  and  each  dark  hair  of  his  head, 
was  certainly  the  figment  of  an  excited  imagina 
tion. 

"Why,  Jack,"  she  gasped,  and  clasped  her 
hands  tightly  in  her  lap  for  fear  they  might  tell 
too  much. 

"  You  are  pale,"  he  said,  and  stooped  with  ten 
der  concern. 

"Why  —  the  sun  was  pretty  warm,  didn't  you 
think  ?  "  she  returned. 

Jack  did  think  so.  He  had  had  considerable 
time  in  which  to  test  it,  dodging  from  one  side  of 
the  Plaisance  to  the  other  in  that  crowd,  where 


THE  FERRIS   WHEEL.  265 

every  one  knows  that  his  best  friend  had  a  faculty 
of  dissolving  from  view  even  when  he  was  sup 
posed  to  be  safely  at  one's  side. 

"  Our  poor  heliotrope  !  "  he  said,  glancing  down 
at  their  decorations. 

Mildred  followed  his  gaze.  The  sprays  on  her 
jacket  looked,  she  thought,  much  as  she  felt  five 
minutes  ago.  "  Let  us  throw  them  away,"  she 
answered,  starting  to  withdraw  the  pin. 

"  Never,"  said  Jack  promptly,  and  the  girl  hes 
itated,  then  dropped  her  hand. 

"  Turn  this  way,"  he  added.  "  See  the  Univer 
sity  buildings,  —  a  fine  massive  gray  city  that  is 
going  to  be!  Doesn't  it  seem  strange  to  think 
that  college  will  ever  be  venerable  and  have  tradi 
tions  ?  " 

From  this  time  their  attention  was  fully  occu 
pied  with  the  panoramic  view.  The  crowd  of 
sightseers  in  the  Plaisance  became  a  congregation 
of  umbrellas  and  parasols,  ever  lessening  in  size, 
and  whitened  in  patches  where  a  number  of  faces 
were  upturned  at  once  to  behold  the  gyration 
of  the  wheel.  The  strange  colors  and  shapes  in 
architecture  brought  from  many  lands  stood  in 
startling  conjunction  on  either  hand.  Beyond 
stretched  the  Fair  city  with  its  winding  water 
ways,  held  safe  in  the  great  azure  crescent  of 
Lake  Michigan's  embrace. 

Mildred's  eyes  sparkled  with  interest  and  plea 
sure.  The  color  had  returned  to  her  face,  and  her 
spirits  to  their  natural  level.  When  their  car 


266  SWEET   CLOVER. 

again  neared  earth  she  was  glad,  not  sorry,  that 
another  circuit  was  in  prospect  to  help  her  to  a 
more  satisfactory  view  of  what  had  seemed  but  a 
tantalizing  glimpse. 

"  The  deed  is  done,"  said  Jack,  as  at  last  the 
exit  door  of  the  car  was  opened,  and  the  passen 
gers  passed  from  under  the  gigantic  steel  web  and 
set  foot  on  solid  earth  once  more.  "  What  is  next 
on  your  programme  ?  " 

"  I  was  going  home,"  answered  Mildred,  rather 
hesitatingly. 

"  World's  Fair  finished  ?  "  asked  Jack  with  a 
smile. 

u  I  have  seen  almost  everything  in  the  Plaisance 
that  I  care  for." 

"But  I  haven't." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?     Are  you  hinting  ?  " 

The  girl  smiled  too,  and  somehow  her  expres 
sion  was  not  so  exasperating  as  at  other  times. 

"  Yes,  I  am  hinting." 

"Out  with  it,  then.  Speak  up  like  a  little 
man." 

"  Sometimes  when  I  have  spoken  up  like  a  little 
man  you  have  made  me  feel  like  a  little  donkey." 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  can  like  me  at  all,  Jack," 
returned  Mildred  naively.  "  I  made  up  my  mind 
this  morning  that  I  was  going  to  try  to  be  more 
like  Clover." 

"  Capital  scheme  !  "  exclaimed  Van  Tassel,  with 
so  much  enthusiasm  that  Mildred  felt  discon 
certed. 


THE  FERRIS   WHEEL.  267 

"  I  don't  suppose  the  leopard  can  change  his 
spots,  though,"  she  returned,  rather  stiffly. 

"  Let  us  go  to  Hagenbeck's  and  see,"  suggested 
Jack. 

"It  is  rather  far  from  here  if  we  are  going  to  do 
the  shows  with  any  system." 

"  Do  you  wish  to,  Mildred  ?  Don't  let  me  bore 
you." 

"  It  only  bores  me  to  have  you  want  me  to  be 
like  somebody  else." 

Jack's  lips  drew  together  in  an  inaudible  whis 
tle,  and  it  needed  all  Clover's  warnings  to  aid  him 
in  holding  the  rein  over  himself.  They  were  aim 
lessly  walking  east. 

"  But  I  honestly  don't  blame  you,"  she  added. 
"  I  have  done  nothing  to  make  it  pleasant  for  you 
here.  In  your  own  home  it  did  n't  seem  necessary 
to  treat  you  like  a  guest." 

"  You  are  right.  There  was  no  necessity  in  the 
matter ;  there  is  n't  now.  Perhaps  you  really 
wish  to  go  home." 

"  Clover  would  n't  go  if  she  did  wish  it,"  Mil 
dred  smiled  at  him  with  a  sidelong  glance,  "  and 
so  I  will  stay." 

"  Not  with  me,"  said  Jack,  lifting  his  hat  and 
looking  very  firm  as  he  paused  in  the  road. 

"Then  you  take  it  back  that  you  wish  me  to 
be  like  little  sister  ?  "  Mildred  also  paused,  still 
smiling  at  him  with  her  chin  lifted. 

"  I  want  you  to  be  honest." 

"  I  am  honest.  I  want  to  stay,  you  uncivil 
man." 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE   MIDWAY   PLAISANCE. 

THE  magic  carpet  in  the  Arabian  Nights  which 
transported  its  owner  from  one  country  to  another, 
remote,  in  the  space  of  a  few  seconds,  was  the  prop 
erty  of  all  visitors  to  the  Midway  Plaisance. 
Mildred  and  Jack  spent  a  little  time  amid  the 
Swiss  Alps,  the  former  amusing  herself  by  picking 
out  for  Jack's  benefit  localities  where  she  and 
Clover  had  traveled.  Then  they  looked  in  at  the 
Bedouin  Encampment  and  saw  an  old  woman  mak 
ing  bread.  She  whirled  the  dough  on  one  hand 
until  it  spread  into  a  very  thin  sheet.  This  she 
flapped  over  a  cushion  and  from  thence  transferred 
it  to  the  top  of  an  inverted  iron  basin,  where  it 
baked  above  burning  sticks.  It  looked  when 
cooked  like  a  delicate  cracker,  as  it  was  broken  up 
and  passed  around  to  the  spectators. 

A  gigantic  black,  clothed  entirely  in  red  from 
his  high  leather  boots  to  the  rope-like  twists  of  cloth 
about  his  head,  lay  stretched  on  a  divan  besille  an 
other  fire  smoking  a  narghileh. 

"The  bread  is  coming  this  way,"  remarked 
Mildred  apprehensively.  "  Let  us  go  into  that 
door  and  see  what  is  there." 

Jack  followed  her.     "  This  room,  Miss  Bryant, 


THE  MIDWAY  PLAISANCE.  269 

is  taken  from  a  Damascus  palace,"  he  said.  "  I 
am  surprised  that  you  did  n't  recognize  it  at  once. 
Observe  these  pieces  of  silver  set  into  the  walls, 
and  the  lavish  number  of  mirrors.  I  believe  a 
periodical  lecturer  appears  in  here." 

"  How  much  nicer  to  have  it  to  ourselves,  and 
guess  about  it.  I  have  been  standing  so  long,  I 
can  guess  very  closely  what  these  gold-embroidered 
velvet  divans  are  for,"  and  Mildred  stepped  up  on 
the  dais  at  the  end  of  the  room  and  seated  herself. 

The  ceiling  was  lofty,  and  in  the  centre  of  the 
room  a  fountain  played.  Beyond  it  was  another 
dais  surrounded  by  divans.  The  floors  were 
covered  with  rugs.  Outside,  two  Bedouins  fenced 
with  curious  swords,  the  handles  wrapped  with 
twine,  waving  their  small  brass  shields  meanwhile 
with  ostentatious  gestures  as  they  deliberately 
stepped  about.  Increasing  in  concentration  and 
swift  fury  to  the  climax  of  the  play,  they  paused 
unexpectedly,  and  seating  themselves  on  the  ground, 
fell  to  rolling  cigarettes  and  making  coffee  over  the 
small  fire  beside  which  lay  the  immobile  black. 

Shrill  and  dull  arose  the  rhythm  of  the  flageo 
lets  and  the  tambours.  The  click  of  castanets 
told  that  the  dark-eyed  women  were  dancing. 

While  Mildred  and  Jack  still  rested,  an  Arab  in 
loose  robes  came  in,  and  going  to  the  fountain 
bathed  his  face  and  hands  and  dried  them  on  a 
purple  silk  towel  striped  with  yellow. 

"  How  nice  of  him,"  said  Mildred,  acknowledg 
ing  this  touch  added  to  the  picture. 


270  SWEET   CLOVER. 

As  they  were  passing  out,  one  of  the  Bedouins, 
the  cloth  from  his  twisted  turban  hanging  about 
his  shoulders,  paused  near  them  with  a  baby  in  his 
arms,  a  curly-headed  tot  of  a  year  old,  around  whose 
big  brown  eyes  were  drawn  lines  of  artificial  black. 
Mildred  looked  gently  upon  the  child,  and  the 
father,  smiling  with  pride  and  pleasure,  glanced 
from  one  to  the  other ;  so  she  patted  the  baby. 

"  She  is  very  pretty,"  she  said,  and  he  under 
stood.  His  large  gaze  grew  soft,  and  he  nodded. 
Mildred  looked  at  the  dancing  women  with  more 
interest.  One  of  them,  her  chin  tattooed  with  blue, 
was  pointed  out  to  her  as  the  baby's  mother. 

A  realization  of  the  probable  hardships  and  home 
sickness  endured  by  these  people  in  all  the  changes 
of  scene  and  weather  they  had  undergone  assailed 
''  her ;  but  it  did  not  do  to  dwell  too  long  on  that 
side  of  life  in  the  Plaisance.  She  only  turned  her 
sweetest  smile  once  more  on  father  and  child,  pat 
ted  the  baby's  cheek,  and  followed  Jack  out. 

To  him  it  mattered  little  where  they  went. 
Each  scene  gained  a  glamour  which,  could  the  man 
agers  of  the  various  enterprises  have  purchased  it 
as  a  permanent  adjunct  to  their  attractions,  would 
have  ensured  their  fortunes.  Passing  from  Arabia 
to  the  electric-lighted  palms  of  the  Moorish  Palace, 
Van  Tassel  was  prepared  to  admire  everything. 
The  labyrinth  of  mirrors  which  might  in  some 
moods  have  impressed  him  as  a  tiresome  device, 
now  triumphantly  vindicated  their  right  to  be,  by 
presenting  him  a  hundred  Mildreds  so  like  the 


THE  MIDWAY  PLAISANCE.  271 

original  as  to  be  an  embarrassment  of  riches.  Even 
the  wax  figures  above  stairs  were  interesting.  The 
rise  and  fall  of  the  Sleeping  Beauty's  gentle  breast 
was  a  marvel. 

From  the  various  tricks  and  optical  illusions  of 
the  Moorish  Palace  they  betook  themselves  to 
Hawaii,  and  stood  together  in  darkness  on  the  bor 
ders  of  a  lava  lake  from  whose  centre  shot  living 
flames  from  the  volcano's  heart  toward  the  lurid 
sky. 

A  priest,  a  shadowy  figure,  came  forth  among  the 
gray  rocks,  and  chanted  a  prayer  to  the  dreadful 
goddess  of  fire.  In  the  remote  distance  gleamed 
the  peaceful  blue  waters  of  the  Pacific.  Jack 
would  have  been  willing  to  stand  for  hours  here 
by  Mildred,  in  the  weird  dusky  silence  broken  only 
by  the  monotonous  chant,  for  the  longer  one  lin 
gered  the  more  perfect  grew  the  illusion  ;  but  she 
took  him  away  presently,  and  in  a  trice  the  island 
of  Hawaii  had  vanished  and  Egypt  was  gained  via 
the  western  entrance  to  Cairo  Street. 

They  passed  in  before  the  Temple  of  Luxor,  in 
front  of  which  a  brazen-lunged  American  show 
man  was  reeling  off  a  highly-colored  description  of 
the  attractions  within. 

"  Mummy  of  Eameses  about  the  fifth  on  your 
right !  "  repeated  Jack,  laughing.  "  Let  us  post 
pone  Rameses  until  he  can  be  located  a  little  more 
definitely." 

"  Yes,  I  want  you  to  see  the  Soudanese  picka 
ninny,"  said  Mildred,  and  they  went  over  to  the 


272  SWEET  CLOVER. 

tent  where  the  jolly  little  black  baby  hopped  about 
among  her  elders,  shaking  the  girdle  of  feathers 
and  shells  about  her  hips  and  dimpling  with  de 
light  in  the  applause^and  laughter  she  called  forth. 
More  interesting  than  the  Soudanese  were  the  Nu 
bians,  who  came  in  from  the  dark  huts  adjoining, 
and  danced  in  the  same  tent.  One  of  these  in 
particular  attracted  Jack's  eye. 

"  What  a  splendid  woman,  Mildred ! "  he  ex 
claimed.  "  What  an  artist's  model  she  would 
make." 

The  object  of  his  admiration  was  tall,  straight 
as  an  arrow,  dressed  in  a  long  robe  of  white,  and 
wore  large  hoop  earrings.  She  had  symmetrical 
features  of  haughty  mould,  and  was  very  dark, 
with  thick  crinkled  black  locks  free  from  the 
feathers,  shells  and  twine,  braided  among  the 
Soudanese  tresses.  She  was  an  impressive  figure 
standing  immovable  upon  the  stage  among  the 
dancers. 

"  Like  a  splendid  bronze  !  "  said  Jack,  gazing  at 
the  delicate  proud  face  with  all  his  eyes.  The 
Nubian  smiled,  disclosing  the  most  perfect  teeth 
imaginable,  and  Yan  Tassel  regarded  her  with 
growing  admiration. 

"  I  tell  you,  Mildred,"  he  said  enthusiastically, 
"  if  that  woman  could  have  been  brought  up  in  a 
different  environment  she  would  have  been  superb. 
Fancy  having  her  well-trained  for  a  servant? 
How  would  you  like  her  to  pass  you  your  coffee 
at  breakfast  ?  " 


THE  MIDWAY  PLAI8ANCE.  27 S 

Mildred  laughed.  "  What  a  pity  that  I  am  not 
a  reporter,"  she  said  as  they  left  the  tent.  "  You 
could  be  worked  into  a  taking  newspaper  article, 
Jack.  A  young  scion  of  one  of  Chicago's  well- 
known  families  is  maturing  a  plan  to  abduct  the 
chief  of  the  tribe  of  Nubians  in  Cairo  Street.  It 
is  feared  there  will  be  an  uprising,  and  so  forth, 
and  so  forth." 

"  A  feminine  chief  ?     I  don't  blame  them." 

"No,  sir.  Your  superb  bronze  woman,  your 
artist's  model,  is  Mohammed  Ali,  the  chief  of  the 
Nubians." 

Jack  looked  incredulous.  "  You  expect  me  to 
believe  that?" 

"  Not  if  you  wish  to  go  back  and  inquire.  It  is 
true,  though.  Mohammed  is  a  friend  of  mine.  He 
was  good  enough,  when  Clover  and  I  looked  into 
his  hut,  to  show  us  how  he  polishes  those  perfect 
teeth  of  his  with  a  little  stick.  Did  you  ever  see 
anything  so  shining?  You  can  buy  his  photo 
graph,  if  you  like,  at  one  of  these  booths,  and  keep 
it  as  a  memento  of  Mr.  Van  Tassel's  "  — 

"  Look  ou-at.  Look  ou-at  for  Mary  Anderson," 
called  a  donkey  boy  in  a  blue  gown. 

"  You  would  n't  run  over  me,  would  you,  Toby  ?  " 
asked  Mildred. 

The  boy  trudging  by  through  the  crowd,  showed 
his  ivories  in  a  smile  of  recognition,  and  urged  his 
little  white  donkey  onward  in  the  narrow,  crooked, 
brick-paved  street. 

Such  a  throng,  such  a  noise,  only  the  memories 


274  SWEET  CLOVER. 

of  the  experienced  can  witness  to.  Camels  swung 
along  between  the  irregular  houses,  the  warning 
cries  of  their  drivers  mingling  with  the  monoto 
nous  sing-song  of  the  venders  in  the  closely  packed 
booths. 

Egyptian  flower  girls,  veiled  to  the  eyes,  plied 
their  trade.  A  conjurer  pushed  his  way  amid  the 
gazers,  a  hen's  egg  sticking  in  his  eye  and  another 
clinging  behind  his  jaw.  The  rhythm  of  the  Mid 
way  sounded  from  two  drums  slung  at  either  side 
of  a  gaudily  caparisoned  camel,  and  was  sung  mo 
notonously  from  the  booth  of  the  much-vaunted 
Oriental  sweetmeat :  — 

"  Alia  gooda  bum-bum, 
Vera  nice  candy, 
Beautifula  bum-bum, 
Vera  good  candy," 

repeated  ad  libitum  by  the  swarthy  Arab  presid 
ing. 

Mildred  and  Jack  glanced  into  the  showcases 
as  they  passed  onward,  the  former  restraining  her 
companion  from  purchasing  specimens  of  brass- 
work,  filigree  silver,  ornaments,  and  embroidery. 
But  once  Mildred  exclaimed  with  pleasure  over  a 
small  hanging-lamp  of  dull  silver. 

"  I  will  take  it,"  said  Jack  to  the  instantly  volu 
ble  salesman. 

"Not  for  me;  no  don't,"  protested  his  com 
panion. 

"You  must  have   a  souvenir,"   returned   Van 


THE  MIDWAY  PLAISANCE.  275 

Tassel,  smiling  over  the  word  which  had  grown 
hateful  by  iteration  to  all  Fair-goers. 

"  Please  don't  get  it,"  said  the  girl ;  but  the  very 
tassel  on  their  Oriental's  fez  was  active  in  his  zeal 
to  wrap  up  the  parcel  for  this  gentleman  who  did 
not  bargain. 

The  foreign  fashion  of  changing  a  price  by  the 
beating-down  process  was  one  with  which  many 
Americans  amused  themselves  when  they  found  it 
was  expected ;  but  Jack  was  in  that  state  of  mind 
when  an  article  which  had  the  rare  fortune  to 
please  Mildred  was  above  rubies. 

She  dissembled  her  satisfaction,  however.  "  If 
I  had  let  you  buy  everything  you  have  started  to 
since  we  came  into  the  street,  we  should  have  had 
to  charter  a  donkey,"  she  began. 

"Look  ou-at  —  look  ou-at  for  Yanka  Doodoo," 
bawled  Achmet,  the  donkey  boy,  directly  upon 
them. 

"  I  don't  like  to  feel  that  I  must  n't  admire  any 
thing,"  finished  the  girl  as  Jack  stepped  between 
her  and  the  little  quadruped  who  carried  a  much- 
excited  and  curled  maiden  of  five. 

"  I  like  this  lamp  so  much,  I  don't  know  that 
I  shall  let  you  have  it,"  responded  Van  Tassel 
serenely,  as  he  took  the  package.  "  Look  up,  Mil 
dred.  What  a  deep  blue  the  sky  gets  between 
those  irregular  roofs." 

"  Only  one  of  us  can  look  up  at  a  time,  while 
the  other  keeps  watch  of  the  menagerie." 

"  There  appears  to  be  an  extra  crowd  yonder," 
remarked  Jack. 


276  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Oh,  that  is  the  camel-stand.  Hear  the  people 
laughing.  How  can  anybody  be  willing  to  furnish 
so  much  amusement  to  the  public  as  to  mount  one 
of  those  beasts?  There  is  always  just  such  a 
crowd  there." 

"  Well,  are  we  through  here  ? "  asked  Van 
Tassel. 

"  What?    Are  you  weary  of  Cairo  Street?" 

"  Not  if  you  are  not ;  but  it  is  rather  warm,  and 
there  is  a  good  deal  of  a  mob,  and  I  have  inhaled 
enough  attar  of  roses  to  last  until  my  next  incar 
nation.  I  thought  perhaps  you  might  be  tired, 
standing." 

"  I  am." 

"  There  is  n't  a  place  to  sit  down,  either,"  said 
Jack,  looking  around. 

"  That  is  just  what  almost  every  one  thinks. 
I  don't  know  how  soon  people  will  find  out  my  en 
chanted  palace,  but  they  had  n't  done  so  last  week." 

"  Well,  now,  an  enchanted  palace  is  exactly 
what  I  am  looking  for,"  returned  Van  Tassel  hope 
fully.  "  How  did  you  learn  the  open  sesame  ?  " 

"  The  open  sesame  is  "  —  Mildred  paused  apolo 
getically.  "  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  say  it,  but  it  is 
the  only  prosaic  feature,  —  the  open  sesame  is  fif 
teen  cents." 

They  moved  along  toward  the  crowd  by  the 
camel  stand,  and  here  in  the  noisiest,  busiest  portion 
of  the  winding  street,  Mildred  led  her  companion 
into  an  open  door  which  revealed  a  long,  blank 
corridor.  The  dragon  guarding  it  was  a  most 


THE  MIDWAY  PLAISANCE.  277 

commonplace  American.  Most  people  whose  cu 
riosity  led  them  to  look  into  the  uninviting  hallway 
were  qir  \  V.^erl  off  by  the  placard  stating 
the  £ f  \  ^°BV^  fee-  There  was  so  much 

^r^iey  were  so  limited,  little 
s  attractions  of  the  street 
plore  this  side-show. 
Weaving  the  din  and  bustle 
^  ily  placated  dragon,  and  at 
nnpty  corridor  found  them- 
court,  out  of  which  led  a 
5  earthen  jar  filled  with 
over  a  smaller  vessel  into 
in  crystal  drops  through 
s  and  lilies  stood   about, 
agth  of  the  staircase.     It 
Van  Tassel  looked  about 

OOiiling  glance  of  mystery, 
yed  Ibrahim,"  she  said. 
>,d   Jack,   frowning   and 
o  ^*er  too  sophisticated." 
^_ .,_  vtoes  n't  think  so,"  answered  the   girl, 
and  they  proceeded  upstairs.       Entering  a  hall 
way  where  was  a  heavy  bronze  door  of  fabulous 
age  and  richness  of  design,  they  were  met  by  a  tall 
handsome  Oriental  in  robes  and  fez,  whose  melt 
ing  eyes  lighted  as  they  recognized  Mildred.     He 
bowed  low. 

"  How    do   you    do,    Sayed   Ibrahim ;    I   have 
brought  another  friend  to  see  the  beautiful  house." 


278  SWEET  CLOVER. 

He  bowed  again  and  held  aside  a  portiere  of 
cloth-of-gold.  The  visitors  passed  within  and  found 
themselves  in  a  spacious  shadowy  room  with  lofty 
arched  ceiling.  The  windows  were  unglazed  and 
shielded  by  curious  hand  -  carved  lattice  work. 
Thick  rugs  were  upon  the  floor,  and  small  tables 
inlaid  with  pearl  and  ivory  stood  about.  On  a 
larger  one  were  a  number  of  tiny  and  precious 
coffee  cups,  held  in  little  brass  stands.  Long- 
stemmed  pipes  hung  upon  the  walls,  and  divans  or 
cushions  upon  the  floor  invited  to  repose.  Rich 
portieres  divided  the  suite  of  rooms  one  from  an 
other. 

The  light  was  dim,  coming  out  of  the  glaring 
street,  and  the  colors  in  rugs  and  hangings  were 
tempered  in  the  wonderful  Oriental  weaving. 
There  were  no  other  visitors.  Jack  looked  at  the 
swarthy  cicerone  who  stood  ready  to  answer  their 
questions. 

"  I  do  not  wonder,"  he  said  to  Mildred,  "  that 
you  call  this  mysterious  spot  enchanted.  It  is  a 
chapter  out  of  the  Arabian  Nights." 

"  Yes  ;  are  you  ready  to  come  back  to  the  nine 
teenth  century  ?  The  nineteenth  century  in  Egypt, 
you  know.  I  would  n't  make  your  fall  too  sudden 
and  profound." 

Mildred  moved  to  the  broad  window-seat  which 
was  covered  with  a  rug,  and  smiled  at  the  Arab. 
It  was  a  language  he  understood  as  clearly  as  the 
Harvard  graduate,  and  he  hastened  forward  and 
threw  open  the  lattice. 


THE  MIDWAY  PLAISANCE.  279 

Van  Tassel  seated  himself  opposite  Mildred, 
and  together  they  looked  down  upon  the  madding 
crowd. 

Their  position  was  just  opposite  the  camel  stand, 
and  from  their  height  they  commanded  a  view  of 
the  kaleidoscopic  life  of  the  street.  The  bystanders 
pressed  about  the  cushions  upon  which  the  camels 
knelt  to  take  011  or  be  relieved  of  their  burdens, 
and  seemed  to  find  never-failing  entertainment  in 
the  behavior  of  those  intrepid  passengers  who 
embarked  for  the  adventurous  journey  to  the  end 
of  the  street  and  back  again. 

Mildred  and  Jack  in  their  romantic  eyrie  held 
their  sides  with  laughter  over  the  absurdities  en 
acted  before  their  eyes. 

"  If  any  trip  ever  deserved  the  name  of  pleasure 
exertion,  that  is  the  one,"  said  Mildred,  wiping  her 
eyes,  while  she  watched  two  girls  who  evidently 
took  their  lives  in  their  hands  as  they  seated  them 
selves  on  the  cushioned  back  of  one  of  the  patient 
beasts.  The  Arab  driver  cried  out,  and  tapped  the 
creature  on  the  neck. 

"  Now  then,' '  said  Jack,  "  see  the  ship  of  the 
desert  let  out  the  reefs  in  its  legs !  " 

Shrieks  arose  from  the  maidens  at  the  first  as 
cent,  wilder  and  wilder  cries  and  clutchings  at  the 
second  and  third,  and  by  the  time  the  animal  had 
reached  the  stature  of  a  camel  and  swung  away,  the 
whole  crowd  was  uproarious,  only  quieting  to  ob 
serve  the  next  pair  embark. 

"Miss  Amelia  Edwards   says  the   camel   is   a 


280  SWEET  CLOVER. 

beast  that  hates  its  rider,"  said  Jack.  "  I  wonder 
what  are  the  private  prejudices  of  the  Cairo  Street 
variety." 

"  As  if  you  could  n't  see  !  "  answered  Mildred. 
"  It  would  n't  be  half  so  funny  if  the  camels  did  n't 
curl  their  lips  and  look  so  supercilious  all  the  time 
those  idiots  are  shrieking  so.  '  What  fools  these 
mortals  be ! '  is  the  sentiment  their  faces  express 
chronically.  Poor  things !  Just  think,  that  .they 
are  only  intended  to  kneel  once  or  twice  a  day,  and 
here  they  have  to  go  down  every  three  minutes. 
How  they  would  execrate  Columbus  if  they  only 
knew  how  !  Oh>  look  at  that  old  lady  !  It  is  a 
shame  to  let  her  go,"  added  Mildred.  "  They  will 
laugh  at  her,  too." 

"  Never  mind.  She  will  be  the  heroine  of  Per 
kins  Point,  or  wherever  it  is,  all  the  rest  of  her 
life." 

"  She  looks  scared,  Jack.  Oh,  dear  !  her  bonnet 
is  falling  off.  I  wish  she  would  n't.  Why,  there 
are  Clover  and  Mr.  Page !  Do  you  see  them  ?  Let 
us  go  out  on  the  balcony."  Mildred  left  the  win 
dow-seat,  and  Jack  followed. 

"  Is  there  a  balcony  ?   Why  did  n't  you  say  so  ?  " 

"  Because  I  am  economical  of  my  pleasant  sur 
prises."  The  watchful  Sayed  threw  open  double 
doors  of  the  lattice  work,  and  revealed  a  small, 
square  balcony  upon  which  the  visitors  stepped  into 
the  sunlight.  The  fanciful  minarets  and  spires  of 
the  street  gleamed  against  an  azure  sky. 

Clover  and  Gorham  had  paused  just  below,  also 


THE  MIDWAY  PLAISANCE.  281 

interested  in  the  venturesome  old  lady,  who  was 
followed  by  cheers  as  her  scornful  camel  bore  her 
up  the  street. 

Jack  took  advantage  of  the  temporary  lull  that 
followed,  to  whistle  the  bit  from  "  Carmen." 

Clover  instantly  looked  up  and  called  the  atten 
tion  of  her  companion. 

Mildred  beckoned. 

"  Clover  knows  the  way,"  said  Jack. 

"  Most  certainly  she  does.  We  Chicagoans 
are  n't  Fair  visitors.  We  are  Fair  livers." 

"  Don't  be  so  toplofty,  mademoiselle.  What  am 
I,  if  not  a  Chicagoan  ?  " 

44  Oh,  a  sort  of  deserter." 

"  '  I  deny  the  allegation  and  despise  the  allega- 
tor.'  I  am  going  to  marry  a  Chicago  girl,  and 
live  here  all  my  days." 

"  Have  you  asked  her  ?  " 

Van  Tassel,  perhaps  reminded  by  the  neighbor 
hood  of  his  mentor,  forbore  from  replying  to  the 
saucy  smiling  eyes,  and  here  Clover  and  Gorham 
appeared  at  the  door  of  the  balcony. 

"  Come  out,"  said  Mildred,  "  it  holds  five.  Is 
this  the  way  you  visit  the  Anthropological  Build 


ing 


"Why,  this  is  all  right,"  answered  Page. 
"  '  Midway  Plaisance,  Department  M.  Ethnology.' 
Look  on  the  catalogue,  and  you  will  see  this  is  all 
a  part  of  the  Anthropological  exhibit." 

u  And  apart  from  it,"  suggested  Mildred, 
"  which  certainly  is  in  its  favor.  I  thought  you 


282  SWEET  CLOVER. 

would  see  enough  ghastly  pictures  and  graveyards 
and  mummies  in  a  short  time." 

"  The  exhibits  in  the  gallery  are  wonderful  and 
beautiful,"  said  Clover.  "I  don't  believe  you 
know  what  you  are  talking  about." 

"  I  do,  my  dear.  I  have  oh'd  and  ah'd  over 
them  all,  from  the  dainty  infinitesimal  sea  crea 
tures  on  pink  cotton  to  the  mammoth.  I  felt  so 
much  obliged  to  him.  He  really  made  me  feel 
small.  Then  the  realistic  cliff,  with  the  birds  and 
beasts  artistically  disposed,  and  the  waterfall  and 
flowing  brook.  I  Ve  seen  them.  How  long  have 
you  been  here  ?  " 

"  Not  very  long.  We  have  been  watching  the 
antics  of  the  women  on  the  camels,  and  the  long- 
legged  men  on  those  tiny  donkeys." 

"  A  great  deal  of  human  nature  comes  out  in 
Cairo  Street,"  said  Page  with  interest.  "  One 
sees  a  great  variety  of  motives,  and  many  grades 
of  self-control  by  that  camel  stand.  See  that  little 
woman  going  now  to  take  a  trip.  Is  it  amuse 
ment  she  's  after  ?  Not  at  all.  Note  the  deter 
mination  in  her  face.  Duty  calls  and  she  obeys. 
Dollars  to  doughnuts  she  does  n't  scream,  Jack." 

"  I  'm  out  of  doughnuts  ;  but  I  '11  bet  you  the 
supper  she  does.  I  have  n't  seen  a  quiet  one  yet." 

"  Done !     You  will  see  one  now." 

"  That  girl  is  from  the  East,"  said  Mildred. 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  returned  Page,  gazing  with 
pleased  curiosity  at  his  protegee,  who  stood  waiting 
her  turn ;  "  but  what  brings  you  to  that  conclu 
sion?" 


THE  MIDWAY  PLAISANCE.  283 

"  The  trimming  of  her  hat  looks  as  if  it  were 
nailed  on.  They  say  all  Boston  women's  bonnet 
trimmings  are  nailed  on." 

"  She  is  a  character,"  said  Page.  "  Now  I 
would  like  to  know  what  her  motive  is  in  riding 
that  camel." 

Jack  guffawed.  "  I  am  sure  you  would.  You 
will  be  asking  her  the  next  thing  we  know." 

"  Well,  it  is  no  idle  one,  I  'm  sure  of  that." 

"  Perhaps  she  is  a  school  teacher,"  suggested 
Van  Tassel,  "  and  wants  to  go  home  and  tell  her 
scholars  how  pitch-and-toss  in  Cairo  Street  dif 
fers  from  the  usual  game." 

"  There  she  'goes,"  said  Clover,  and  they  all 
watched  the  fair-faced  girl  approach  and  mount  a 
camel  whose  expression  for  utter  boredom  rather 
outdid  its  neighbors.  At  the  driver's  cry  it  gath 
ered  itself  convulsively.  The  rider  lurched  for 
ward.  Her  back  was  to  the  watchers  on  the 
balcony,  but  they  could  not  hear  a  sound  from 
her.  She  lurched  backward,  still  without  a  cry, 
and  they  were  not  surprised  when  the  camel 
swung  around  to  see  her  face  still  set  in  its  de 
termined  and  composed  lines  while  the  crowd 
looked  on  in  silence. 

"I  shall  enjoy  that  supper  very  much,  Jack," 
said  Gorham. 

"  You  have  n't  won  it  yet.  Wait  till  she  comes 
back.  When  his  Nibs  kneels  down  is  the  time  a 
girl's  lungs  really  come  into  play.  After  she 
thinks  every  joint  in  his  body  has  doubled  up  theje 


284  SWEET  CLOVER. 

comes  one  unexpected  plunge  that  fetches  the  most 
dignified  of  them  every  time.  They  say  a  sailor 
came  in  here  the  other  day  and  after  riding  one  of 
our  humped  friends  said  that  the  camel  played  cup- 
and-ball  with  him  the  whole  length  of  the  street, 
and  only  missed  him  twice." 

In  a  few  minutes,  back  came  Gorham's  heroine, 
still  composed  as  she  rocked  back  and  forth  cling 
ing  to  the  rope  which  the  driver  had  handed  her 
for  a  support. 

"Now  that  supper  hangs  in  the  balance,"  re 
marked  Page. 

"  I  'm  safe  enough,"  returned  Jack  nonchalantly, 
"and  I  assure  you  my  appetite  is  in  prime  con 
dition." 

The  camel,  slowly  winking  and  holding  his  nose 
aloft,  approached  his  cushion,  and  began  the  series 
of  spasmodic  collapses  which  made  its  rider  look 
as  though  at  the  mercy  of  a  rocking-chair  gone 
mad.  She  pitched  wildly,  but  valiantly  held  her 
peace.  Even  Jack  had  to  admit  that  she  did  not 
make  a  murmur,  and  all  his  protests  against  playing 
off  a  dumb  girl  on  him  were  unheeded  as  Page 
gazed  benignly  down  on  the  young  woman,  who 
smiled  sweetly  and  triumphantly  as  she  rejoined 
her  friends. 

"Five  minutes  of  four,"  said  Mildred.  "The 
wedding  procession  will  soon  pass.  Are  n't  we  for 
tunate  to  have  the  balcony?  Do  you  see,  other 
people  are  daring  to  visit  the  house  and  taking  our 
window-seat?" 


THE  MIDWAY  PLAISANCE.  285 

"  Your  window-seat !  That  is  pretty  good,"  said 
Clover,  turning  toward  the  speaker  with  an  arch 
smile.  "  We  thought  that  was  our  window-seat, 
did  n't  we,  Jack?" 

She  saw  the  color  flash  over  her  sister's  face  in 
the  instant  before  the  girl  controlled  herself.  She 
wondered  if  Jack  had  seen  the  novel  evidence  of 
feeling  before  Mildred  turned  to  him  coolly. 

"  So  you  have  been  here  before,"  she  remarked. 
"  Why  did  n't  you  mention  it  ?  " 

"  Clover  and  I  looked  in  a  short  time  only,  the 
evening  we  took  supper  in  Germany,"  answered 
Van  Tassel.  "  I  did  not  examine  the  curious  place 
at  all  then,  so  this  is  really  my  first  view  of  it." 

Clover  turned  away  to  conceal  her  amusement. 
Jack  in  his  embarrassment  had  implied  all  she  could 
have  asked  from  the  disciplinary  standpoint. 

But  now  the  attention  of  the  quartette  was 
claimed  by  the  wedding  procession,  which  was  seen 
coming  down  the  street,  the  camels  nearly  hidden 
under  their  gaudy,  bulky  trappings,  and  the  din  of 
the  tom-toms  filling  the  air.  When  the  music, 
dancing,  and  sword  play  were  ended,  Mildred  spoke 
to  her  sister. 

"  What  have  you  done  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Page  ?  " 

"They  went  to  the  Chinese  theatre,  and  we 
have  promised  to  meet  them  in  Old  Vienna  and 
take  supper  there." 

"  Our  dear  Jack  will  have  to  take  supper  with 
us  now,"  declared  Gorham  cordially. 

I    suppose,"    said    Van     Tassel,     addressing 


u 


286  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Mildred,  "  that  Old  Vienna  is  an  oft-repeated  ex 
perience  to  you  ?  " 

"  At  least  I  shall  not  pretend  that  it  is  a  novelty," 
she  answered  without  looking  at  him,  and  Jack 
was  silent.  He  even  colored,  but  it  was  not  with 
proper  contrition.  It  was  a  flush  of  pleasure  that 
overspread  his  countenance  as  his  brown  eyes  sent 
a  quick  glance  into  Clover's. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

OLD   VIENNA. 

"  How  remarkable  that  you  met  Mildred,"  said 
Clover  to  Jack,  after  the  four  had  wended  their 
way  out  of  Cairo  and  turned  west. 

"  It  was  a  lucky  chance,"  replied  Van  Tassel. 

"  Where  did  you  meet  ?  "  The  fun  in  his  face 
gave  Clover  her  first  suspicion. 

"  In  the  Ferris  Wheel.  Was  n't  it  a  coincidence 
that  we  should  have  chosen  the  same  cab  ?  And 
I  '11  tell  you  in  confidence,  Clover,  that  I  think  Mil 
dred  was  considerably  impressed  with  his  Wheel- 
ship." 

"  Why  should  you  make  a  confidence  of  that  ?  " 
asked  Mildred  nonchalantly.  "We  are  all  im 
pressed,  are  n't  we  ?  " 

"  Not  to  the  verge  of  pallor,  Milly." 

"  Don't  call  me  Milly.  No  one  does  that  but 
Clover." 

"  Were  you  really  frightened,  Mildred  ?  "  asked 
her  sister  with  much  interest. 

"  Why  do  you  ask  me  ?  Ask  Jack.  He  evi 
dently  knows  all  about  it." 

"No,  I  insist  on  referring  you  to  Mildred  her 
self.  She  scorns  petty  deceits  of  all  kinds.  I  can 
not  be  relied  on  to  tell  the  absolute  truth." 


288  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Mildred  looked  at  the  speaker  with  a  dangerous 
sparkle  in  her  eyes.  "  Why  don't  you  give  Clover 
her  present?  "  she  asked  suddenly. 

"  A  present  for  me  ?  Why,  hurry,"  exclaimed 
Clover.  "  What  new  extravagance  have  you  been 
committing,  Milly  ?  " 

"  It  is  n't  I  this  time,  it  is  Jack.  He  has  bought 
you  the  most  adorable  little  silver  hanging-lamp 
you  ever  saw.  Open  it,  Jack ;  or  shall  we  wait  till 
we  are  seated  in  Old  Vienna?" 

"  You  told  him  I  wanted  it,  you  naughty  girl." 

"  No,  I  did  n't."  Mildred  was  bubbling  over  with 
mischievous  satisfaction  in  Van  Tassel's  struggles 
to  look  bland.  "  It  was  purely  spontaneous  on  his 
part.  I  even  went  so  far  as  to  urge  him  not  to  get 
it.  Did  n't  I,  Jack?" 

Van  Tassel's  reply  was  scarcely  audible  ;  but 
they  had  reached  the  guard,  who  with  puffed  sleeves 
and  feathered  hat  stood  motionless,  spear  in  hand, 
before  the  entrance  to  the  Vienna  of  two  hundred 
years  ago. 

Inside  they  found  the  Pages,  standing  before 
one  of  the  many  open  shops  which  formed  the  first 
floors  of  the  weather-stained,  peaked,  and  turreted 
houses. 

"  Hilda  is  buying  a  spoon,"  announced  Mr.  Page 
as  his  friends  approached ;  "  but  that  goes  without 
saying.  I  have  kept  careful  count,  and  this  is  the 
seventy-seventh  she  has  purchased  while  with  me. 
Of  course  there  may  be  others.  I  can't  tell  what 
pleasant  surprises  may  be  awaiting  me  when  we  get 
home." 


OLD  VIENNA.  289 

"How  was  the  Chinese  theatre?"  asked  Gor- 
ham,  while  Clover  and  Mildred  gravitated  naturally 
to  Mrs.  Page's  side  to  lend  her  their  aid  in  deciding 
between  the  merits  of  two  spoons  she  was  examin 
ing. 

"  Immense  ;  you  must  go." 

"  You  must  n't  go  unless  you  want  to  be  driven 
crazy  with  noise,"  put  in  Hilda.  "  Eobert  says  I  am 
deficient  in  the  sense  of  humor,  but  you  positively 
can't  think  in  that  place.  There  was  a  Chinese- 
American  in  the  audience  acting  as  an  interpreter, 
and  I  suppose  he  saw  that  Eobert  was  interested ; 
so  he  just  stayed  with  us,  and  put  the  crowning 
touch  to  the  confusion  by  explaining  the  play  at  a 
pitch  to  be  heard  above  the  squealing  music  and 
the  shrieking  actors." 

"  Women's  parts  all  taken  by  men,  of  course," 
explained  her  husband,  "  and  they  jabber  in  a  high 
monotonous  falsetto  without  any  change  of  counte 
nance  except  an  occasional  attack  of  pathetic  stra 
bismus.  Two  lovers  meet  after  a  separation  of  ten, 
years.  They  start,  then  with  two  simultaneous 
squeaks  fall  backward  in  a  swoon,  feet  to  feet,  and 
lie  there  with  their  elaborately  dressed  heads  stick 
ing  up  in  the  air,  while  a  supe  runs  in  with  wooden 
supports  which  he  tucks  under  their  necks.  The 
interpreter  explained  :  '  Of  course  they  cannot  spoil 
their  hair  !  '  Ha !  ha !  It  was  great ;  and  as  for 
the  costumes  and  hangings,  they  would  stand  alone 
for  the  gold  and  silver  embroidery  in  them.  Con 
fess,  Hilda,  they  were  consoling." 


290  SWEET   CLOVZlt. 

"  Yes,  they  were  ;  and  so  was  the  baby  we  saw 
upstairs  in  the  Joss-house.  He  was  ten  months  old, 
with  a  black  tuft  of  hair  on  top  of  his  head  exactly 
like  the  Chinese  dolls,  and  was  dressed  in  green  silk 
trousers  and  a  red  silk  shirt." 

"  You  must  have  wanted  to  steal  him,"  said  Mil 
dred. 

"  That  is  what  his  mother  thought,  I  am  sure. 
He  lay  asleep  in  a  little  wagon,  and  when  she  heard 
me  exclaim,  she  flew  out  from  behind  a  curtain  with 
a  very  suspicious  expression  on  her  pretty  face. 
Yes,  she  was  really  pretty,  and  dimpled,  and  young ; 
and  her  hands  were  loaded  with  rings.  Robert,  just 
look  here  one  minute.  Don't  you  think  the  filigree 
handle  is  the  prettier?  " 

"  My  dear,  I  ate  too  many  bananas  once,  and 
have  never  since  been  able  to  endure  the  sight  of 
them.  If  you  knew  the  sentiments  with  which  a 
souvenir  spoon  inspires  me,  you  would  tremble." 

"  I  will  take  the  filigree  one,"  said  Mrs.  Page, 
with  a  sigh  of  relief. 

The  six  ate  supper  together  at  a  table  pleas 
antly  distant  from  the  fine  German  orchestra. 
Feathery  bits  of  white  cloud  scudded  over  the 
blue  above  them.  Picturesque  gables  and  weather- 
beaten  fa£ades  illuminated  with  the  decorations 
of  a  bygone  time  closed  them  in  from  the  outside 
world  with  such  an  atmosphere  of  antiquity,  that 
even  the  dignified  beauty  of  Handel's  Largo,  as 
its  stately  measures  pealed  forth  on  the  evening 
air,  seemed  an  anachronism. 


OLD  VIENNA.  291 

Mildred  sat  at  Jack's  right  hand. 

"  What  shall  I  put  down  for  you  ?  "  he  asked, 
looking  up  from  the  order  he  was  writing.  "  I 
found  nothing  on  the  card  injurious  enough  to  be 
appropriate." 

Mildred  smiled  slightly  as  she  glanced  over  the 
menu. 

"  You  deserved  a  worse  punishment  than  that," 
she  answered. 

"It  is  true  it  was  no  great  punishment.  I 
should  like  to  give  Clover  all  Cairo  Street  if  she 
wants  it." 

Clover  was  sitting  opposite  between  the  other 
men,  and  the  music  effectually  concealed  from  her 
the  above  colloquy. 

"Hurry  up,  Jack,"  she  said,  leaning  forward; 
"they  keep  you  waiting  forever  here.  Give  her 
bread  and  milk  if  she  can't  decide.  It  is  good  for 
the  young." 

While  the  party  were  waiting  for  their  meal  to 
be  brought,  Jack,  now  at  ease  in  the  situation,  pro 
duced  the  silver  lamp,  which  received  much  praise 
as  it  was  passed  about. 

Gorham,  Mildred's  other  neighbor,  turned  to  her. 
"  Your  sister  suggests  that  you  must  have  practiced 
much  self-control,"  he  remarked.  "  She  says  this  is 
just  the  sort  of  lamp  you  have  been  searching  for." 

"Do  you  hear  that,  Jack?9'  asked  Mildred  de 
murely.  "  I  am  afraid  Jack  does  not  appreciate 
me,  Mr.  Page." 

Mildred,  ever  since  the  evening  of  her  confiden- 


292  SWEET  CLOVER. 

tial  talk  with  Gorham,  had  carried  the  half -nettled, 
wholly  amused  consciousness  that  he  was  regard 
ing  her  with  considerations  of  her  search  for  that 
affinity  she  had  described.  She  felt  sure  he  would 
not  repeat  their  talk  to  Jack;  but  if  he  should! 
The  thought  brought  a  stinging  red  to  her  cheeks. 

Page  was  not  thinking  of  her  now,  however. 
This  little  circumstance  of  the  gift  of  the  lamp  im 
pressed  him.  That  Jack  should,  while  with  Mil 
dred,  buy  this  bauble  which  the  latter  coveted  and 
give  it  to  Clover,  looked  as  though  Hilda's  convic 
tions  might  be  correct.  As  he  caught  a  serene 
glance  from  Clover's  violet  eyes  it  suddenly  seemed 
to  him  very  improbable  that  an  impressionable  fel 
low  like  his  cousin  should  not  dream  by  day  and 
night  of  that  pure  and  beautiful  face. 

Jack  was  not  worthy  of  her,  he  could  not  pre 
cisely  state  to  himself  why ;  and  he  ran  over  his 
acquaintances  in  his  mind  to  see  if  he  could  find 
one  the  consideration  of  whom  would  rouse  less 
antagonism.  He  had  not  succeeded  when  the 
waiter  appeared  with  the  supper. 

"  What  are  you  indefatigable  people  going  to 
do  next?"  asked  Eobert  Page,  lighting  a  cigar 
when  their  meal  was  finished.  "  I  am  extremely 
comfortable  and  good-natured  now,  but  I  warn  you 
I  shall  turn  dangerous  if  any  one  suggests  the  illu 
mination.  To  be  asked  just  to  step  over  from 
Old  Vienna  to  the  Court  of  Honor  sounds  pleasant. 
It  was  played  on  me  once  when  I  was  a  tenderfoot ; 
but  I  'm  not  to  be  roped  into  any  such  pilgrimage 


OLD  VIENNA.  293 

to-night.  If  I  was  n't  a  married  man,  I  should  sit 
right  here  and  listen  to  the  music,  and  see  the 
Wheel  go  round,  until  it  was  time  to  go  to  my  little 
bed." 

"  What  nonsense  !  "  remarked  Hilda.  "  If  you 
weren't  married  you  would  be  urging  me  to  go 
with  you  in  a  gondola." 

"  My  dear,  where  would  be  the  use  ?  You  know 
the  gondolas  are  all  bespoken  by  this  time.  What 
a  sweet  consciousness  it  is,  by  the  way,"  added 
Page,  sighing  restfully. 

"  We  are  going,  though,  some  night,"  returned 
his  wife.  "  Before  we  leave  the  White  City,  you 
must  take  me  in  a  gondola  and  hold  my  hand." 

"  See  the  lengths  to  which  this  woman's  frenzy 
for  spoons  carries  her !  Why,  I  '11  hold  your  hand 
now,  my  dear.  Any  suggestion  which  presupposes 
so  little  exertion  as  that  will  find  me  in  an  affirm 
ative  state  of  mind  every  time." 

Hilda  glanced  at  his  offered  hand  scornfully. 
"  We  have  n't  the  stage-setting,"  she  replied.  "  Be 
careful,  Kobert  Page,  or  you  will  frighten  Mildred 
out  of  getting  married  at  all." 

"Is  that  true,  Miss  Mildred?  Oh,  I  don't  be 
lieve  it.  You  are  so  level-headed  you  must  see  the 
situation  in  the  right  light.  Did  you  ever  hear  the 
simile  of  the  horse-car  ?  When  a  man  is  trying  to 
catch  a  horse-car  and  afraid  it  is  going  to  escape 
him,  he  waves  his  arms,  shouts,  hurries,  and  disturbs 
himself  generally.  After  he  has  caught  the  con 
veyance,  if  he  continued  to  behave  in  the  same 


294  SWEET  CLOVER. 

perturbed  fashion  he  would  be  set  down  as  a  luna 
tic.  You  see  the  point,  of  course  ?  " 

Mildred  pursed  her  lips  and  shook  her  head. 
"  You  are  a  very  audacious  man,"  she  answered. 

"Now  Jack  isn't  smoking,"  continued  Page 
argumentatively.  "  That  indicates  the  restlessness 
of  the  man  who  is  afraid  he  will  arrive  too  late  at 
the  street  corner." 

"  It  indicates  that  I  am  not  going  to  stay  here," 
returned  Van  Tassel. 

"Whither  away,  restless  one?  " 

"You  will  have  to  ask  Miss  Bryant.  She  is 
showing  me  the  World's  Fair  to-day." 

"  Not  after  your  perfidious  behavior,"  said 
Mildred.  "  I  was  too  sophisticated,  was  I  ?  Oh, 
for  shame !  " 

"  Do  you  speak  to  me  of  perfidy  ! "  exclaimed 
Jack. 

"  Well,  sha'n't  we  all  go  somewhere  together  ?  " 
suggested  Gorham. 

"No,  I  think  we  sha'n't,  dear  brother,"  replied 
Robert  mildly. 

"  Do  you  want  to  stay,  Hilda  ?  "  asked  Gorham. 
"  Are  n't  you  growing  tired  of  hearing  Zwei  Bier  ? 
Come  with  us." 

"  No,  thanks.  I  will  stay  here  until  it  bores 
me,  and  then  I  will  give  Robert  his  choice  of  select 
ing  another  souvenir  spoon  or  taking  me  out." 

So  the  other  four  left  their  seats  and  moved 
away  to  the  martial  strains  of  Die  Wacht  am 
Rhein. 


OLD  VIENNA.  295 

Clover  found  herself  beside  Jack  a  moment. 

"  It  was  a  shame  about  the  lamp,"  she  mur 
mured. 

"  What  ?  "  returned  Yan  Tassel,  looking  uncom 
fortably  into  her  roguish  eyes. 

"  I  saw  how  it  was.  Too  bad ;  but  that  is  an 
other  thing  she  will  repent  at  leisure." 

"  How  did  you  know?  " 

"  By  Mildred's  impish  dimple.  She  has  one 
just  above  her  lip  that  never  shows  except  when 
she  is  in  mischief.  At  first  I  was  taken  in ;  but 
after  a  moment  I  saw  the  imp,  and  then  I  knew." 

"  What  a  wonderful  sight  the  Wheel  is  with  its 
double  row  of  electric  lights,"  said  Mildred  to 
Gorham. 

"What  —  yes;  it  has  been  rather  warm,"  he 
replied ;  this  irrelevance  being  due  to  the  effect 
upon  him  of  observing  Clover's  murmured  col 
loquy  with  Jack. 

Mildred  stared.  When  she  made  a  remark  to 
a  man,  she  was  accustomed  to  find  him  attentive. 

Page  continued  with  another  inexcusable  speech. 

"  I  wonder  if  perhaps  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  would 
like  to  go  somewhere  with  Jack." 

"  I  believe  Jack  considers  himself  otherwise  en 
gaged  this  evening,"  returned  Miss  Bryant  with 
hauteur. 

"  Oh  —  oh  yes."  Gorham's  eyes  fell  upon  the 
speaker  with  an  expression  which  suggested  that 
he  had  just  become  aware  of  her,  and  until  this 
moment  had  been  talking  to  himself. 


296  SWEET  CLOVER. 

A  light  broke  upon  Mildred.  There  was  but 
one  possible  explanation  of  such  ignoring  of  her 
own  preeminent  right  to  homage. 

"  They  are  both  in  love  with  her !  "  she  thought, 
and  the  slight  pang  that  came  with  the  idea  sur 
prised  her. 

Clover  and  Jack,  with  the  laughter  on  their  lips, 
stepped  forward  and  joined  the  others. 

"  Have  you  any  wish,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  ?  "  asked 
Page. 

"No,  let  us  drift  until  something  tempts  us." 
They  soon  lost  sight  of  Mildred  and  Jack  in  that 
stream  of  humanity  which  flowed  in  both  directions 
along  the  Midway  between  the  soft  arc-moons. 
They  left  behind  them  the  great  Wheel,  slowly 
revolving  in  sparkling  light  as  though,  sweeping 
through  the  heavens,  myriad  stars  had  caught 
thickly  along  its  edges  and  were  borne  on  to  earth. 

"  Let  me  carry  that  precious  lamp,"  said  Page, 
taking  Clover's  parcel. 

"  I  would  not  let  Jack  keep  it,  for  fear  he  might 
give  it  to  Mildred,"  she  explained. 

Her  companion  looked  surprised. 

"  Jack  is  a  little  weak  and  indulgent  where 
Mildred  is  concerned,"  said  Clover. 

Page  did  not  know  what  to  reply.  Hilda  had 
assured  him  in  days  past  that  no  one  could  help 
seeing  that  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  was  unwilling  Jack 
should  ask  Mildred  to  go  to  the  Fair  with  him, 
and  now  this  frank  avowal  of  jealousy  perplexed 
him  greatly. 


OLD  VIENNA.  297 

"  But  what  —  what  mystifies  me,  Mrs.  Van 
Tassel,"  he  said  hesitatingly,  "  is  that  you  should 
care  for  a  gift  —  but  there  are  limits  to  a  man's 
right  to  express  his  thoughts." 

Clover  laughed  out  mirthfully.  "  Analyze  me. 
I  am  perfectly  willing,  only  it  will  necessitate  ex 
posing  the  fact  that  my  sister  is  a  very  saucy 
girl." 

Page  regarded  her  so  earnestly  that  he  nearly 
stumbled  over  a  wheeled  chair  that  grazed  him. 

"  I  don't  understand  it  at  all,"  he  said  seriously. 

"  Of  course  not.  Well,  I  will  tell  you.  Jack 
bought  this  lamp  for  Mildred  ;  and  she,  to  punish 
him  for  some  offense,  forced  him  to  give  it  to  me 
in  the  way  you  heard.  She  does  n't  know  that  I 
saw  through  it ;  but  now  I  do  not  propose  that 
she  shall  have  the  fun  and  the  lamp  too." 

Page  found  the  Midway  grow  a  trifle  cheerier 
under  this  disclosure.  "  Of  course  not,"  he  an 
swered  ;  then,  after  a  moment's  thoughtfulness : 
"  That  was  a  strange  prank  for  your  sister  to 
play,"  he  added.  "  I  fear  I  should  n't  have  known 
how  to  yield  as  easily  to  the  joke  as  Jack  did." 

"  Oh,  he  stuttered  a  good  deal,  poor  fellow," 
laughed  Clover.  "  Mildred  is  a  spoiled  child." 

"  Not  so  superficial,  though,  as  one  would  at  first 
believe,"  returned  Gorham.  "  There  is  plenty  of 
depth  to  her  nature.  Society  educates  a  girl  to 
seem  shallow,  that  is  all." 

Clover  looked  surprised  and  pleased.  She 
glanced  at  Page  with  quick,  responsive  feeling. 


298  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  It  is  very  nice  of  you  to  see  through  Mildred," 
she  said,  and  Page  felt  a  strange  glow  under  her 
approval. 

"  The  folly  of  Hilda,"  he  thought,  "  in  supposing 
this  woman  could  be  jealous  of  another ! " 

There  was  something  too  in  the  quiet  joyousness 
of  her  sphere  which  assured  him  that  whatever 
were  her  sentiments  for  Jack,  she  was  not  longing 
for  his  society  now.  She  was  content,  he  felt  it, 
and  the  knowledge  was  bliss  to  him. 

"I  wonder  how  soon  we  are  going  to  be  at 
tracted,"  remarked  Clover,  after  they  had  walked 
a  minute  in  silence. 

Page  turned  to  her  suddenly.  "  What  do  you 
mean  by  that  ?  "  he  asked  so  eagerly  that  the  sur 
prised  color  rushed  to  his  companion's  face. 

"  Why,  we  were  waiting,  were  n't  we,  for  one  of 
these  side  shows  to  tempt  us  beyond  the  point  of 
resistance,"  she  answered,  with  the  glibness  with 
which  a  woman  can  skim  over  a  moment  which 
threatens  too  much. 

"  Well,  to  tell  the  truth  I  had  forgotten  what 
we  were  doing  beyond  sauntering  together  in  this 
very  interesting,  motley  crowd.  Isn't  it  strange 
how  completely  alone  we  are  in  such  a  place  ?  " 

"Or  might  be,  if  it  were  not  for  the  wheeled 
chairs,"  said  Clover.  "  It  is  n't  safe  to  become  in 
trospective  here." 

"  Was  I  ?  "  anxiously.  "  Have  I  been  silent, 
Mrs.  Van  Tassel?  My  thoughts  often  play  me 
tricks.  Hilda  is  always  saying  that  I  am  '  queer.' 


OLD  VIENNA.  299 

I  don't  know  just  what  she  means,  but  if  you  would 
be  kind  enough  to  mention  it  if  I  do  anything  you 
don't  like,  I  should  be  —  it  would  be  a  great  favor." 

"  You  are  very  flattering,"  returned  Clover,  turn 
ing  away  to  smile.  "  What  a  temptation  you  offer 
me !  " 

"Then  I  do  offend  you?"  he  exclaimed  with 
frank  consternation. 

"  No,  no,  I  did  n't  mean  that.  I  was  only  think 
ing  what  a  temptation  you  hold  out  to  a  woman  to 
mould  a  fellow-creature  into  the  form  she  likes. 
But  I  know  what  an  ignis  fatuus  that  alluring  idea 
is.  Men  do  not  alter  themselves  to  please  women." 

"  I  should  say,"  returned  Page  ruminatively, 
"that  you  are  wrong.  I  know  that  Hilda  has 
changed  Robert  in  many  ways,  materially." 

"  By  the  force  of  years  of  influence,  yes ;  but 
your  brother  did  not  know  what  was  going  on.  I 
am  certain  of  that." 

"  I  should  suppose,"  said  Page  earnestly,  "  that 
a  man  could  not  rest  in  the  knowledge  that  he  was 
doing  something  offensive  to  the  woman  he  loves." 

"Yes,  you  would  suppose  so,"  agreed  Clover. 
"  My  knowledge  of  the  truth  is  gathered  from  ob 
servation,  not  experience,  as  you  know.  I  rever 
enced  Mr.  Van  Tassel  too  completely  to  think  of 
desiring  to  change  him.  In  my  married  life  it  was 
myself  I  wished  to  alter ;  but  I  have  seen  a  good 
deal  of  young  married  people,  and  —  well,  tell  me, 
Mr.  Page,  did  you  ever  hear  Hilda  say  that  she 
would  be  glad  if  her  husband  did  not  smoke  ?  " 


300  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Gorham,  and  said  no  more. 

"  Now  I  begin  to  feel  a  strong  temptation,  Mr. 
Page.  How  is  it  with  you  ?  Are  you  prepared  to 
resist  the  Javanese  village?" 

"  I  have  not  been  in  there." 

"  Oh,  you  must  n't  miss  that.  I  wonder  you 
have  been  able  to  pass  that  charming,  fantastic, 
bamboo  entrance.  The  lightness  and  simplicity  of 
this  life  makes  it  to  me  the  most  charming1  in  the 

O 

Plaisance." 

They  entered  the  gateway  and  came  suddenly 
upon  the  quiet  attractions  of  the  dainty  straw  vil 
lage.  Yes,  it  was  still,  here ;  still  enough  to  hear 
the  muffled  music  of  the  water-wheel.  Clover  and 
Page  stood  a  moment  in  the  hush,  listening  to  its 
tinkle,  and  the  plashing  of  the  wavelets.  A  small, 
soft-footed  Javanese  occasionally  passed  them. 

"  I  wish  that  I  smoked,"  broke  out  Gorham  sud 
denly. 

"  Here  will  be  an  opportunity,"  returned  Clover. 
"You  will  be  offered  cigarettes  at  every  turn  in 
Java." 

Page's  seriousness  was  unmoved.  "  I  want  you 
to  believe  that  I  would  give  it  up  if  you  asked  me." 

Mrs.  Van  Tassel's  serene  heart  quickened  its 
pace,  but  she  laughed.  "Isn't  it  a  pity  that  I 
shall  have  to  remain  incredulous  ?  "  then  she  has 
tened  on,  vaguely  afraid  of  her  companion.  "  Don't 
misunderstand  me,  please.  I  was  not  criticising 
your  brother  a  minute  ago.  Do  you  know  you 
have  formed  a  shocking  habit  of  frankness  in  me  ? 


OLD  VIENNA.  301 

You  have  searched  out  my  thoughts  and  opinions 
so  many  times  that  now  you  have  only  to  suggest 
a  subject  and  I  pour  out  my  ideas.  I  think  I 
ought  to  have  kept  my  observations  to  myself  on 
this  topic ;  but  since  I  have  said  so  much,  I  don't 
wish  to  leave  you  with  the  notion  that  I  think  your 
brother  and  men  like  him  monsters  of  selfishness. 
A  woman  makes  an  absurd  mistake  to  marry  a 
smoking  man,  and  then  to  be  grieved  because  he 
refuses  when  she  artlessly  requests  him  to  give  up 
the  habit ;  but  a  girl  nearly  always  thinks  that  all 
she  need  do  is  to  marry  a  man  in  order  to  make 
him  over  into  anything  she  likes.  I  tell  you,  Mr. 
Page,  it  is  the  result  of  my  observations  that  all  the 
voluntary  changes  a  man  makes  at  the  request  of 
his  beloved  are  made  before  —  before  he  catches 
the  horse-car." 

Gorham  smiled.  "But  I  don't  think  Kobert 
ought  to  smoke,  since  Hilda"  — 

"  Pardon  me.  I  am  going  to  defend  the  absent. 
Did  he  smoke  while  they  were  engaged  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Very  well.  Now,  do  you  wish  to  hear  some 
words  of  wisdom  ?  " 

"Yes,  indeed." 

"  Here  they  are.  If  Hilda  disliked  tobacco,  she 
should  have  said  so,  then ;  and  she  probably  did. 
When  she  found  Mr.  Page  would  not  give  up  the 
habit,  she  should  have  weighed  the  question  in  her 
mind  as  to  whether  the  matter  of  smoking  were 
going  to  affect  her  happiness  seriously.  If  she 


302  SWEET   CLOVER. 

thought  it  would,  she  should  have  broken  her  en 
gagement.  The  great  point  is,  that  if  she  decided 
to  marry  him  she  should  have  realized  that  she 
took  him  as  he  was,  tobacco  and  all,  and  would  be 
likely  to  have  rather  more  than  less  of  it  for  the 
rest  of  her  life." 

"  A  man  is  a  selfish  brute,"  remarked  Gorham. 

"  Sometimes ;  but  he  has  the  same  right  a  wo 
man  has  to  choose  between  his  habit  and  his  love ; 
that  is,  if  the  woman  speaks  in  time." 

"  Hilda  does  not  particularly  dislike  cigar 
smoke,"  said  Page,  "  but  she  thinks  smoking  is 
bad  for  Robert.  I  wonder  if  all  men  are  as  thick- 
skinned  as  you  say.  Now,  there  is  Jack.  Do  you 
believe  he  would  not  fling  all  his  cigars  into  the 
lake  for  —  for  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  so  long  as  there  were  plenty 
more  to  be  had." 

"  No,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel,  be  serious  ;  and  for  the 
moment  pardon  personalities.  If  Jack  were  en 
gaged  to  you  "  — 

He  waited,  gazing  at  Clover.  She  smiled  at  him 
and  said,  "  Well,  if  Jack  were  engaged  to  me  ?  " 

Page  swallowed  some  impediment  to  speech. 

"  And  you  should  earnestly  ask  him  not  to 
smoke,  can  you  doubt  the  result?  " 

Clover  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  No,  I  am 
afraid  I  can't.  Jack  is  a  gentleman,  and  such  an 
impulsive,  affectionate  fellow,  I  know  pretty  well 
what  he  would  do,  supposing  of  course  that  he  were 
very  earnestly  and  deeply  in  love  with  me/' 


OLD  VIENNA.  303 

"Which  he  is,  of  course."  The  dismal  excla 
mation  broke  from  Page  unawares. 

Clover  stared  at  him.  "  Oh  no,  he  is  n't,"  she 
said  gently,  after  a  minute. 

"What!" 

"  No,  indeed.  Jack  and  I  always  were  good 
comrades,  and  always  will  be,  I  hope." 

Page  suddenly  took  both  her  hands  excitedly, 
and  laughed  aloud. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  said,  sobering  suddenly.  "  I 
was  forgetting  where  we  were."  He  drew  her  hand 
within  his  arm  and  they  started  to  walk.  "  Pretty 
little  light  things  these  bamboo  houses  are,"  he 
continued.  "  What  a  gentle  life  they  suggest.  I 
don't  know  exactly  why  I  am  so  glad  to  hear  what 
you  tell  me,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel.  I  was  under  a 
mistaken  idea  that  you  and  Jack  were  —  and  it  is 
no  reflection  upon  Jack  that  I  am  relieved.  He 
is  a  fine  fellow.  There  is  no  man  I  like  better ; 
so  it  is  —  it  is  really  difficult  for  me  to  explain 
why  —  why"  — 

"Never  mind  trying,  Mr.  Page,"  returned 
Clover,  smiling  softly  at  a  cage  of  doves  outside 
a  cottage  door.  "  It  is  n't  necessary,"  she  added 
demurely,  "  to  label  every  feeling  one  has." 

"  It  is  a  sort  of  habit  of  mine,"  he  returned  apol 
ogetically.  "  What  is  this  long  straw  building  ?  " 

"  The  theatre." 

"  Will  you  come  in  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  I  have  not  visited  it,  but  I  hear  it  is 
interesting." 


304  SWEET  CLOVER. 

So  they  entered  the  well-filled  hall  just  as  the 
performance  was  beginning,  and  were  fortunate 
enough  to  find  seats  near  the  stage.  At  both  sides 
of  the  latter  were  placed  rows  of  puppets  with 
grotesque  faces,  featured  like  the  masks  worn  by 
most  of  the  actors.  At  the  back  of  the  stage 
were  ranged  the  musicians,  sitting  cross-legged  in 
rows  before  their  highly  ornamented  instruments. 
These  were  soft-toned  gongs,  bells,  and  strings  of 
strange  fashion,  and  instead  of  being  solely  notice 
able  for  rhythm,  like  most  of  the  music  of  the 
Midway,  one  heard  from  this  orchestra  plaintive 
harmonies  and  cadences  which  seemed  but  an 
amplification  of  the  minor  pleading  in  the  wa 
ter-wheel's  play. 

The  curtained  entrances  at  the  side  back  of  the 
stage  looked  too  small  and  low  to  admit  the  actors, 
but  there  was  room  and  to  spare  even  for  the  men, 
and  still  more  for  the  dainty  brown  dancing-girls 
who  soon  glided  forth.  They  were  exceedingly 
pretty  and  graceful,  dressed  in  gold-embroidered 
velvet  trousers  to  the  knee,  and  short  skirts. 
Their  dimpled  shoulders  and  arms  were  bare,  and 
their  fringed  sashes  were  used  to  fling  over  their 
wrists  in  the  fascinating  monotonous  gestures  with 
which  they  pointed  their  little  hands  as  they 
stepped  about  in  their  white-stockinged  feet. 

The  performance  was  all  in  pantomime,  the  lines 
being  read  by  some  one  hidden  behind  a  screen 
in  the  centre  of  the  stage.  The  orchestra  men 
in  their  calico  gowns  and  turbans  often  smiled  at 


OLD  VIENNA.  305 

some  sally  of  the  clown ;  but  Clover  and  Page  did 
not  need  to  comprehend  in  order  to  be  amused. 
There  was  something  tenderly  comical  in  the  pom 
pous  movements  of  the  little  people  gesturing  in 
stiff,  studied  fashion.  From  time  to  time  the 
dancing-girls  would  appear,  gliding  hither  and 
yon,  and  posing  to  the  tinkling  music. 

"  This  is  surprisingly  pretty,"  said  Page. 

"  I  want  one  of  those  brown  girls  to  take  home 
as  bricabrac,"  returned  Clover.  "  Are  n't  they 
the  roundest,  prettiest  little  creatures  !  Really,  the 
whole  thing  seems  strange  enough  to  be  a  sight  in 
fairy-land ;  and  do  you  hear  that  enchanting  rustle 
of  trees  above  our  heads  ?  " 

The  light  summer  breeze  was  stirring  the  dried 
straw  and  grass  that  thatched  the  roof,  with  the 
lulling  effect  of  wind  in  a  forest. 

"  I  am  enchanted,  I  admit,"  answered  Gorham. 

After  the  play  they  walked  about  the  village, 
among  the  houses  where  the  little  inhabitants  sat 
upon  their  piazzas  and  sang,  or  talked,  or  rested 
silently. 

"  I  shall  never  see  such  a  reposeful  place  again," 
said  Gorham,  when  at  last  they  passed  out  beneath 
the  bamboo  arch  into  the  turbulent  street.  "I 
should  like  to  prolong  that  experience  indefinitely." 

"  You  can  repeat  it,"  suggested  Clover. 

"  I  should  like  to  believe  that ;  but  one  seldom 
has  so  much  enjoyment  in  the  same  space  of  time 
as  I  have  had  this  evening.  I  feel  grateful  to  you 
for  showing  me  all  that." 


306  SWEET  CLOVER. 

They  passed  down  the  remainder  of  the  Midway 
and  under  the  last  viaduct.  Walking  north 
around  the  end  of  the  Woman's  Building,  they 
stood  a  moment  arm-in-arm  by  the  lagoon,  and 
watched  the  quiet  boats  glide  by,  then  slowly  be 
gan  the  homeward  walk. 

"  You  did  not  tell  me,"  said  Page,  "  what  you 
knew  Jack  would  do  in  our  supposed  case." 

"  Have  n't  we  finished  yet  with  the  sins  of 
smokers  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  Perhaps  we  have.  Were  you 
going  to  say  that  you  believed  Jack  would  give  up 
the  habit  at  the  request  of  the  woman  he  loved  ?  " 

"  I  was  going  to  say  that  he  would  promise  to. 
Yes,  I  am  quite  sure  what  Jack  would  do,  for  I 
have  known  men  of  his  kind  to  do  the  same  thing. 
His  fiancee  —  I,  for  example  " 

"  No,  say  your  sister  ;  although  he  is  not  at  all 
her  kind." 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter  with  poor  Jack,  Mr. 
Page  ? "  asked  Clover  rather  resentfully.  "  In 
what  category  do  you  place  him,  pray  ?  " 

"  I  place  him  high  enough,"  returned  Gorham 
hastily.  "  I  only  refer  to  a  woman's  fancy,  and  I 
have  an  idea  that  Miss  Bryant  would  prefer  a  more 
sober,  studious  man." 

"  Why,  I  can't  imagine  what  makes  you  think 
that ! " 

"  It  does  n't  matter,"  said  Page.  "  It  can't 
hurt  her  at  all  for  us  to  engage  her  to  him  for  a 
few  minutes.  You  are  not  going  to  say  that  Jack 


OLD  VIENNA.  307 

would  make   a   promise  and   break   it  ?     If   you 
think  that,  you  rate  him  lower  than  I  do." 

"  Pie  would  n't  mean  to.  This  is  about  the  way 
it  goes,  or  the  way  I  have  known  it  to  go.  Sup 
posing  Mildred  to  be  engaged  to  Jack,  she  might 
tell  him  she  wished  he  did  not  smoke ;  that  she 
disapproved  it  for  many  reasons.  He  would  prob 
ably  reply  that  he  hoped  she  would  not  ask  him 
to  give  it  up,  for  if  she  insisted  of  course  he  should 
comply  with  her  wishes.  This  would  make  such 
an  appeal  to  her  tenderness  that  she  would  forbear 
objecting  awhile,  feeling  sure,  poor  thing,  that  her 
lover  was  completely  in  her  power ;  but  after  a 
time,  inclination  and  conviction  both  urging  her, 
she  would  return  to  the  subject.  She  might  say, 
for  instance,  that  she  could  not  help  wishing 
strongly  that  he  would  give  up  this  habit,  and 
that  Clover  had  said  no  man  would  do  it  for  any 
woman.  At  this  Jack  would  flare  up.  How  could 
Clover  be  guilty  of  such  a  speech !  She  had  evi 
dently  never  known  any  man  who  loved  a  woman 
as  he,  Jack,  adored  her,  Mildred.  He  would  die 
for  her.  It  would  be  a  pleasure  to  him  to  give  up 
this  comparatively  slight  gratification  for  the  sake 
of  proving  his  affection  for  his  beloved.  Great 
elation  on  the  part  of  Mildred.  Lying  low  on  the 
part  of  Clover.  Jack  stops  smoking,  and  is  os 
tentatiously  careless  and  cheerful.  Mildred  flat 
ters  him  gratefully.  He  assures  her  that  he  does 
not  care  if  he  never  sees  a  cigar  again,  and  is 
glad  if  such  a  trifling  sacrifice  pleases  her. 


308  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Some  day,  perhaps  before  their  marriage,  per 
haps  after,  it  depends  upon  the  length  of  the  en 
gagement,  Jack,  after  dinner,  lights  a  cigar  with 
a  friend.  Mildred  protests  gently.  He  answers 
reproachfully.  Of  course  she  knows  the  habit  is 
entirely  broken  up,  she  surely  is  not  going  to  be 
puritanical  and  unreasonable  because  once  in  a 
way  he  lights  a  cigar  as  she  would  eat  confection 
ery?  She  still  feels  uneasy,  but  is  rather  ashamed 
to  show  it.  He  puts  his  arm  around  her,  tells  her 
she  is  a  nice  little  girl,  and  came  just  in  time  to 
save  him  from  smoking  to  excess,  and  he  thanks 
her  for  it." 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Gorham,  as  she  paused. 

"  Well,  that  occasional  cigar  soon  becomes  a 
daily  one,  or  one  of  a  daily  half-dozen." 

"  Mrs.  Van  Tassel !     How  cynical  you  are  !  " 

Clover  laughed.  "  Oh  no,  not  cynical.  Jack 
was  honest  in  his  expectation  to  give  up  his  pet 
indulgence.  He  reasoned  himself  into  thinking 
his  course  was  right." 

"  I  can't  believe  it  is  always  so." 

"  Always,  Mr.  Page,"  returned  Clover,  nodding 
wisely.  "  Men  have  died  and  worms  have  eaten 
them,  but  not  for  love.  Men  have  given  up  to 
bacco  and  endured  the  torment  it  entails,  but  not 
— for —  love!" 

"  I  never  wished  before  that  I  was  a  smoker," 
said  Page  musingly,  "  but  I  suppose  it  would  be 
rather  foolish  to  cultivate  the  appetite  merely  to 
deny  it." 


OLD  VIENNA.  309 

"  A  piece  of  braggadocio  which  would  be  sure 
to  reap  the  reward  of  failure,"  replied  Clover. 

"  Don't  say  that,  or  you  will  tempt  me  to  ex 
periment.  My  first  cigar  made  me  dreadfully  ill 
when  I  was  twelve  years  old,  and  my  father  coun 
ter-irritated  my  internal  misery  with  an  outward 
application  ;  so  I  did  n't  try  it  again  for  some  time. 
In  the  past  year  I  have  occasionally  yielded  to 
Jack's  urgency  and  smoked  a  cigar,  but  it  does  n't 
interest  me.  I  forget  about  it,  and  it  goes  out." 

"  By  all  means  let  well  enough  alone,"  laughed 
Clover. 

"  Do  you  object  to  the  use  of  tobacco  ?  "  asked 
Page  earnestly. 

"  In  you  I  should,"  answered  the  other,  her  eyes 
shining  in  the  darkness. 

"  I  wish  I  could  give  it  up,"  he  replied  simply. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

ON   THE   LAGOON. 

MILDRED  and  Jack,  when  they  discovered  that 
they  had  lost  their  companions,  made  110  effort  to 
find  them. 

"  It  is  a  great  bore  for  more  than  two  to  try  to 
keep  together  in  this  place.  Don't  you  think  so  ?  " 
asked  Van  Tassel. 

"  It  is  very  difficult,  certainly,"  agreed  the  girl. 
"  Is  n't  it  strange  to  look  about  this  wonder-world 
of  a  street  and  realize  that  it  is  just  the  Midway 
Plaisance  ?  Recall  the  old  driveway  at  this  hour." 

"  Yes ;  early  evening  was  its  most  populous  time 
too ;  but  even  then,  how  quiet  it  was.  What  a  wild 
idea  it  would  have  been  to  expect  to  see  Turkish 
dancing-girls,  half-naked  Dahomeyans,  and  all  the 
rest,  living  in  those  still,  green  fields.  Have  you 
been  in  to  Hagenbeck's  and  seen  the  marvelous 
trained  animals  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  but  it  is  a  rather  creepy  pleasure  to  watch 
lions,  tigers,  bears,  and  leopards  walking  around 
that  one  solitary  man  and  hissing  threateningly  at 
him  even  while  they  obey." 

"  The  one  moment  when  I  found  my  breath  short 
was  when  the  trainer  made  five  lions  lie  down  on 
the  ground,  and  threw  himself  on  his  back  upon 


ON  THE  LAGOON.  311 

them  as  though  on  a  rug.  He  flung  his  arms 
out  and  caressed  their  great  noses.  I  tell  you, 
I  didn't  like  him  to  let  those  beasts  out  from 
under  his  eyes." 

"  That  was  thrilling,  I  remember ;  but  I  felt  for 
the  lions  sometimes,  too.  I  did  n't  like  to  see  them 
demean  themselves.  When  one  had  to  hold  the 
end  of  a  rope  in  his  teeth  and  swing  it  to  let  a 
hound  jump,  it  seemed  rather  small  business  to  de 
mand  of  the  king  of  the  forest." 

When  the  two  friends,  stopping  often  by  the  way 
to  watch  some  curious  object  of  interest,  reached 
the  Japanese  bazaar,  they  went  in  for  a  few  min 
utes.  By  the  time  they  emerged,  the  twilight  had 
wholly  faded. 

"  See  your  kings  of  the  forest !  "  exclaimed  Jack. 

Mildred  looked  across  the  street.  There  in  mid 
air,  apparently  suspended  like  Mahomet's  coffin, 
the  iron  cage  above  the  entrance  to  the  Hagenbeck 
arena  was  brilliant  with  electric  light.  Five  great 
lions  were  within,  and  the  strange  effect,  in  the 
surrounding  darkness,  was  heightened  when  the 
trainer,  whip  in  hand,  entered  and  closed  the  door 
behind  him.  In  a  shorter  time  than  it  takes  to  tell 
it,  Jack  and  Mildred  found  themselves  in  the  centre 
of  an  ever-growing  crowd,  all  with  upturned  faces 
watching  the  wondrous  apparition.  The  magnifi 
cent  beasts  glided  lithely  back  and  forth,  watching 
the  trainer,  who,  exciting  them  more  and  more  by 
the  whip  which  he  cracked  in  the  air,  adroitly 
avoided  being  knocked  down  as  they  bounded 


312  SWEET  CLOVER. 

about  him,  passing  and  repassing  one  another 
with  increasing  swiftness. 

"  A  great  advertisement,"  remarked  Jack ;  then, 
as  Mildred  moved  and  turned  her  head,  "  Are  you 
being  uncomfortably  crowded  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Never  mind,  it  is  worth  it !  "  she  said,  rather 
breathlessly,  as  a  big  fellow,  uncouth  in  his  open- 
mouthed  wonder,  unconsciously  shoved  her  against 
her  companion. 

Van  Tassel  drew  her  in  front  of  him  and  placed 
his  arm  between  her  and  the  countryman.  The 
latter  still  pressed,  but  feeling  an  obstruction  firm 
as  a  bar  of  iron,  turned  his  admiring  countenance 
vaguely  around  toward  Van  Tassel. 

"  Well,  I  vum,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Ever  seen  any 
thing  like  that  before?  Wife  and  I  never  did. 
Them  lions  hangin'  betwixt  earth  and  heaven 
shakin'  their  manes  at  that  feller,  and  he  dodgin' 
around  out  o'  their  way  as  cool  as  a  cucumber ! 
It 's  wife's  aim  to  tell  the  truth  when  we  get  home, 
and  it 's  mine,  too.  It 's  both  our  aims  ;  but  we 
might 's  well  lie.  There  won't  anybody  believe  this." 

"  It  is  amazing,"  said  Jack ;  "but  you  can  see  as 
well  in  one  place  as  another.  Would  you  kindly 
push  the  other  way  ?  " 

"  They  're  a-hunchin'  us  on  this  side  too,"  ex 
plained  the  man  ;  then  continued  to  gape,  oblivious 
of  his  surroundings. 

The  trainer  placed  a  white  and  gold  chair  in 
the  centre  of  the  cage,  and  made  one  of  the  lions 
spring  into  it.  The  creature  placed  its  powerful 


ON  THE  LAGOON.  313 

forepaws  on  the  chair-back,  and  waved  its  graceful 
tail  from  side  to  side.  Another  of  the  beasts 
reared  on  its  hind  legs  high  above  the  trainer's 
head,  resting  its  paws  against  the  iron  bars ;  and 
its  roar  resounded  through  the  crowded  street. 

The  trainer  motioned  the  sitting  lion  from  the 
chair,  shot  a  revolver  twice  into  the  air,  left  the 
cage,  and  lo  !  the  wondering  spectators  were 
gazing  into  blank  darkness. 

"  Another  dream  over,"  said  Jack  into  the  ear 
so  close  to  him. 

The  tightly  hemmed-in  mass  of  humanity  slowly 
dissolved  into  its  integral  parts. 

"  They  ought  to  have  a  packed  house  after  that," 
remarked  Mildred. 

"  Shall  we  swell  the  number?" 

"  Not  unless  you  wish  it." 

"I  don't.  I  wish  something  else  very  much. 
Will  you  answer  as  meekly  and  civilly  when  I  ask 
it?" 

They  had  begun  again  their  walk  eastward. 

"I  don't  know." 

"  Oh,  that  is  not  encouraging." 

"  It  is  wise,  though.  I  was  brought  up  never  to 
be  afraid  to  confess  that  I  did  n't  know  a  thing." 

"  I  want  you  to  go  with  me  in  a  gondola.  Com 
pare  my  humility  with  Robert  Page's  sang-froid" 

"  A  gondola  will  be  even  more  difficult  to  catch 
by  this  time  than  a  horse-car,"  suggested  the  girl. 

Jack  looked  at  her,  but  her  piquant  smiling  face 
taught  him  renewed  patience. 


314  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  Then  you  will  not  run  much  risk  in  promising," 
he  answered.  "  Shall  we  leave  it  to  Fate  to  decide  ? 
If  we  find  a  gondola  easily,  will  you  go  ?  " 

"Yes,  indeed." 

As  they  left  the  Plaisance  and  came  around  the 
Woman's  Building,  a  sun-burst  of  fire  in  the  east 
illuminated  the  sky. 

"  A  salute  to  royalty,"  said  Jack.  "  Queen  Mil 
dred  has  arrived." 

The  white  light  faded,  to  be  followed  by  dazzling 
green,  ruby,  and  gold,  as  one  bomb  followed  an 
other,  to  burst  above  the  lake  and  cast  abroad  in 
the  heavens  fountains  of  jewels  that  rained  down 
in  glittering  showers. 

"  Now,  let  us  see  if  Fate  is  good-natured,"  said 
Van  Tassel,  leading  his  companion  toward  the 
nearest  gondola-landing.  A  graceful  willow  hung 
above  and  obscured  it. 

"  I  must  laugh  at  you,  Jack,"  said  the  girl,  suit 
ing  the  action  to  the  word.  "  The  idea  of  expect 
ing  to  find  a  gondola  now,  way  over  here." 

"  Stranger  things  have  happened.  Suppose," 
suddenly  standing  still  and  looking  down  into  her 
eyes,  —  "  suppose  you  should  say  that  you  wish  it. 
Just  for  luck,  you  know." 

"  I  never  wish  for  impossibilities." 

"  Do  you  expect  me  to  believe  that  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  try  not  to." 

"  But  wish  for  this.  You  know  it  is  possible  to 
have  strawberries  in  January." 

"  What  a  great  boy  you  are   still,  Jack.     Very 


ON  THE  LAGOON.  315 

well,  I  wish  that  two  gondoliers  rnay  have  been 
attacked  by  an  unusual  access  of  laziness  this  even 
ing,  have  denied  their  craft  to  all  applicants,  and 
skulked  over  here  away  from  the  crowd,  and  that 
they  may  be  waiting  for  us  now  in  the  shadow  of 
the  willow.  Any  more  midsummer  madness  you 
would  like  me  to  indulge  in?  " 

Van  Tassel  led  her  down  the  bank.  "  Behold !  " 
he  said.  "  Mildred,  what  a  witch  you  are  !  This 
is  necromancy." 

The  girl  stood  with  lips  parted,  for  the  waiting 
gondoliers  sent  their  graceful  craft  to  her  feet. 
She  put  her  hand  in  Jack's  and  stepped  within. 
In  a  moment  Van  Tassel  was  beside  her,  and 
they  had  glided  away. 

The  lagoon  rippled  in  a  light  breeze.  Along 
the  edge  of  Wooded  Island  the  sedges  dipped  in 
the  waves.  Here  and  there  on  the  bank  a  group 
of  water-birds  showed  white,  as  a  neighboring  elec 
tric  light  touched  the  soft  plumage  beneath  which 
their  heads  nestled. 

Jack  wanted  his  companion  to  speak  first,  but 
she  kept  silence  long. 

"Is  the  sorceress  enjoying  herself?"  he  asked 
gently,  at  last. 

Mildred  returned  his  gaze  as  she  leaned  back  in 
her  cushioned  corner. 

"  I  am  a  philosopher,"  she  answered.  "  I  am 
being  kidnapped,  but  I  might  as  well  enjoy  it." 

"  Well,  that  is  pretty  good.     I  should  say  " 

"  I  don't  want  to  hear  anything  you  have  to  say. 


316  SWEET  CLOVER. 

I  am  convinced  that  you  are  the  most  designing 
cr.eature  alive.  Ask  your  minions  to  sing,  please." 

Jack  longed  that  he  might  know  the  thoughts 
that  flitted  white-winged  through  his  companion's 
mind  as  their  boat  glided  on,  to  the  gondoliers'  song. 

This  ceased  as  they  entered  the  Court  of  Honor, 
grown  dusk  now  in  preparation  for  the  second 
playing  of  the  electric  fountains.  Half  the  weary 
sightseers  had  gone  home ;  no  black  crowd  lined 
the  railings  around  the  Grand  Basin. 

The  rainbow  jets  sprang  triumphant  skyward. 
An  invisible  orchestra  lent  their  colors  richer  mean 
ing  and  beauty. 

"  Do  you  remember  the  song  that  Clover  sang 
last  night?"  asked  Jack,  leaning  a  little  toward 
his  companion.  "  It  suddenly  came  to  my  mind 
then  as  the  water  shot  up.  Those  lines,  — 

'  I  share  the  skylark's  transport  fine, 
I  know  the  fountain's  wayward  yearning, 
I  love  —  and  the  world  is  mine  !  ' 

Clover  says  that  is  a  man's  song.  I  don't  agree 
with  her.  A  woman  may  be  angel  enough  to 
feel  divine  fullness  of  content  simply  in  loving ;  but 
a  man  who  loves  must  be  loved  again,  or  else  feel 
that  nothing  is  his,  —  nothing ;  there  is  no  beggar 
so  poor  as  he.  Isn't  it  so?" 

The  earnest  tone  thrilled  close  to  Mildred's  cheek. 
She  caught  her  breath  quickly.  "I  —  I  don't 
know,"  she  said,  nervously  surprised. 

"  Still  true  to  your  bringing  up,"  remarked  her 
companion,  controlling  himself  with  a  strong  will 


ON  THE  LAGOON.  317 

as  he  felt  her  shrink,  and  leaning  back  with  a  short 
laugh.  "  Not  afraid  to  say  you  don't  know,  when 
such  is  the  case.  Well,  I  can  only  speak  for  my 
self.  When  I  love  and  am  loved  I  will  agree  with 
the  poet,  —  I  would  even  sing  with  her  if  I  could : 

'  For  soft  the  hours  repeat  one  story, 
Sings  the  sea  one  strain  divine, 
My  clouds  arise,  all  flushed  with  glory, 
I  love  —  and  the  world  is  mine !  '  " 

Mildred  was  startled.  What  a  lover  Jack  would 
make !  He  was  not  Clover's.  She  was  sure  of  it 
now,  but  the  thought  brought  no  elation,  rather  a 
new,  timid  humility,  which  made  her  seem  strange 
to  herself. 

She  felt  her  companion's  dark  eyes  upon  her, 
and  her  usually  ready  tongue  was  mute. 

Van  Tassel  did  not  know  whether  to  gather 
courage  or  alarm  from  her  silence  as  they  sat  there 
side  by  side.  The  gondoliers  slowly  propelled  the 
boat,  keeping  in  view  of  the  fountains'  tossing  ban 
ners  of  liquid  light. 

"  Tell  me  what  you  are  thinking,  Mildred,"  he 
urged,  at  last. 

"  I  am  not  thinking.  Do  you  ever  come  to  such 
times?  I  do  always  in  this  spot.  Perhaps  it  is 
because  I  have  no  thoughts  to  match  such  un 
earthly  beauty.  At  all  events  I  never  think,  here. 
I  feel.  I  absorb." 

"Yes,  that  is  it,"  answered  Jack  simply. 

"  Give  me  the  Peristyle,"  said  Mildred,  "  and  what 
I  can  see  from  it,  and  sweep  all  the  rest  of  the  Fair 


318  SWEET   CLOVER. 

away  if  you  like.  I  don't  love  many  things  in  this 
world  beside  Mildred  Bryant,  but  the  Peristyle  is 
one  of  them." 

It  was  a  novel  speech  from  her,  and  in  a  novel 
tone.  The  low  cadence  of  her  voice  had  lost  the 
laughter  or  imperiousness  which  usually  character 
ized  it. 

Jack  was  silent  for  a  time.  "Are  you  warm 
enough?"  he  asked  at  last. 

"  Yes  ;tbut  I  think  we  had  better  go  home." 

"  Are  n't  you  comfortable  ?  " 

"  Oh,  certainly,  and  it  was  very  kind  of  you, 
Jack,  to  take  so  much  trouble." 

This  gentleness  alarmed  Van  Tassel  more  than 
any  amount  of  coldness  or  impertinence  would  have 
done ;  but  he  fought  off  dejection. 

"I  have  given  you  one  thing,  then,  that  you 
can't  hand  on  to  Clover,"  he  said  lightly. 

The  fountains  leaped  a  last  time  and  fell,  drop 
ping  lower  and  lower,  till  only  the  white  sea 
foaming  about  Columbia's  barge  was  left.  Soft 
radiance  again  lit  up  water  and  sculpture. 

Mildred  longed  to  be  at  home ;  and  soon  she  and 
Jack  entered  a  wagonette  at  the  Park  gate  and 
were  driven  to  the  house.  When  they  arrived,  the 
orchestra  at  the  hotel  was  playing  the  music  of 
Carmen. 

"  There  is  a  delicate  compliment  to  you,  Jack," 
she  suggested,  as  they  ascended  the  steps. 

"Yes;  but  must  you  go  right  in?"  for  she 
showed  symptoms  of  leaving  him. 


ON  THE  LAGOON.  319 

"  It  has  been  a  long  day,"  she  answered,  linger 
ing  with  an  unusual  gentle  compliance  from  which 
he  gathered  no  hope. 

"  You  are  tired,"  he  said,  with  tender  contrition. 
"  I  have  had  you  so  long,  and  yet  —  when  should  I 
be  ready  to  let  you  go !  Oh,  Mildred,  —  is  it  any 
use  ?  "  he  burst  forth  suddenly,  in  a  low  tone,  seiz 
ing  both  her  hands  and  holding  them  with  painful 
tightness. 

A  fluttering  and  wild,  loud  peeping  came  from 
the  tangle  of  vines  near  which  they  stood,  and  a 
small  dark  object  half  fell,  half  flew  down  past 
their  heads  to  the  grass  below. 

Mildred  started.  "  It  is  Electra,  —  a  falling 
star."  She  laughed  nervously.  "  I  am  glad  she 
fell,  else  I  might  be  crying  now  instead  of  laughing. 
It  would  be  such  a  serious  unhappiness  to  me  if  I 
should  cause  you  pain,  Jack,"  she  added  brokenly. 
"  You  are  so  different  from  anybody  else." 

"  I  am  answered,"  he  said  briefly  and  steadily  ; 
but  he  did  not  loosen  her  hands.  "  I  am  going  to 
ask  a  great  deal  of  you  now,  Mildred.  Can  you 
forget  what  I  have  said?  " 

"I  —  I  am  afraid  not." 

"  Please  try  to  ;  I  will  help  you." 

"  Help  me  ?  "  repeated  the  girl,  bewildered. 

"Yes,  for  everything  between  us  shall  be  the 
same  as  before.  To-morrow  morning  you  will  say 
to  yourself  that  you  had  a  dream.  That  is  all." 

"  Very  well."  The  girl  regarded  him  question- 
ingly.  "  I  hope  you  are  not  —  are  not  thinking 
that  I  might  —  might  speak  of  it?  " 


320  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Jack  threw  his  head  back  and  gave  an  excited 
laugh  before  suddenly  growing  grave  and  gazing 
ardently  into  her  eyes. 

"  Speak  of  it  ?  What  would  it  be  to  me,  my 
darling,  if  every  one  knew,"  he  said  with  swift 
ardor.  "  I  love  —  but  the  world  is  not  mine. 
That  is  the  whole  story,  and  the  only  peace  for  you 
is  to  forget  it." 

Her  head  drooped  under  his  look. 

"  I  am  dreadfully  tired,  Jack,"  she  said  faintly. 

"  Yes,  dear,  go,  and  forgive  me."  He  kissed  her 
hands  passionately  and  released  them.  She  passed 
into  the  house,  her  head  and  heart  pulsing.  Be 
wilderment  was  her  chief  sensation.  The  finality 
with  which  Jack  seemed  to  accept  defeat  was  so  at 
variance  with  his  manner. 

She  stole  upstairs  silently  to  her  room,  closed 
the  door,  and  turned  up  the  light.  Then  she  went 
to  her  mirror  and  questioned  her  own  pale  face 
with  wistful  eyes. 

"  I  have  n't  expected  it.  I  did  n't  know  it  was 
coming  this  time,"  she  said,  answering  some 
thought.  "  Is  Jack  really  so  unselfish  as  that  ? 
Can  he  care  for  me  enough  to  —  and  then  cover 
his  disappointment  with  gayety  to  save  me  pain  ?  " 

His  loving  words  rang  in  her  ears,  her  hands 
still  felt  the  wild  pressure  of  his,  and  the  warmth 
of  his  kisses.  No  one  had  ever  received  failure  so 
before.  No  man  had  ever  dared  to  call  her  "  dar 
ling."  A  look  that  was  almost  fear  came  into  the 
eyes  that  gazed  back  from  the  mirror.  How  had 


ON  THE  LAGOON.  321 

Jack  contrived  to  make  himself  seem  victor  in 
stead  of  vanquished? 

He  had  not  even  pressed  his  suit ;  he  had  not 
begged  her  to  try  to  love  him.  How  nobly  he  had 
spared  her,  —  but  how  audaciously  he  had  treated 
her  ! 

The  color  was  flowing  back  to  her  cheeks.  Mil 
dred  could  no  longer  study  that  face  in  the  glass. 
She  turned  away,  weary,  perplexed,  troubled  by 
the  restless  beating  of  her  heart. 

"  I  will  get  to  sleep  as  quickly  as  possible.  He 
told  me  to  believe  it  a  dream.  I  must  try  to  take 
it  all  as  Clover  would." 

The  thought  of  her  sister  was  like  calling  up  the 
image  of  a  saint.  She  had  not  been  the  object  of 
Jack's  adoration,  after  all.  How  strange,  strange  ! 
Plow  much  better  it  would  have  been  for  him.  Not 
that  Clover  would  have  married  him,  but  it  would 
have  been  good  for  him  merely  to  love  her.  Fevers, 
perplexities,  could  not  come  where  Clover  was  ;  and 
with  this  thought  came  a  great  longing  to  breathe 
Clover's  cool,  wholesome  atmosphere.  Mildred 
slipped  into  a  wrapper,  and  without  pausing  to 
think  further,  crossed  to  her  door.  There  was 
but  a  dim  light  within. 

She  spoke  her  sister's  name  very  softly,  not  to 
wake  her  if  possibly  she  might  be  asleep;  but 
Clover  herself  in  an  instant  opened  the  door. 

"  I  thought  I  heard  you  come  in,  Milly." 

"  Why,  what  are  you  doing  here,  all  dressed,  in 
the  dark?"  asked  the  younger,  entering. 


322  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"Thinking."  Clover  laughed.  "It  sounds 
amusing,  does  n't  it ;  but  the  music  was  pleasant 
and  my  window  especially  enticing.  I  felt  rather 
tired  when  I  reached  home  a  little  while  before 
you,  and  meant  to  be  asleep  by  this  time,  but  here 
I  am,  you  see." 

"  Let  me  come  and  think  too,"  said  Mildred ; 
"  or  rather,  let  me  come  where  I  can't  think." 

The  two  sisters  sat  down  in  the  large  bay  win 
dow  overlooking  the  lake. 

"  Have  n't  you  had  a  pleasant  day  ?  "  asked 
Clover. 

"  I  've  had  all  sorts  of  a  day.  How  has  yours 
been  ?  " 

"  Delightful." 

"  You  are  my  despair,  Clover.  Things  are 
always  delightful  to  you." 

Clover  heard  the  depression  in  her  sister's 
voice,  and  wondered  ;  her  thoughts  flew  to  Jack 
too,  and  she  questioned  what  mood  the  day  might 
have  left  him  in.  "  Oh  no,"  she  answered,  "  but 
those  nut-brown  maids  in  the  Javanese  theatre 
would  put  any  one  into  good  humor.  When  they 
dance,  you  can  no  more  help  laughing  than  if  you 
were  being  tickled  with  a  feather.  Such  dear, 
cunning,  absurd  motions  as  they  make,  their  little 
bits  of  mouths  looking  so  serious  all  the  time." 

"You  take  such  an  interest  in  everything,"  said 
Mildred  wistfully.  "  It  is  because  you  have  '  a 
heart  at  leisure  from  itself.'  I  have  never  longed 
for  that  sort  of  a  heart  as  I  have  to-day.  For 


ON  THE  LAGOON.  323 

quite  a  while  it  lias  been  slowly  dawning  upon  me 
that  I  am  more  self-centred  than  most  people  ; 
but  to-day  Gorham  Page  gave  me  the  final  blow." 

"  Mr.  Page  ?  Why,  you  astonish  me.  He  has  a 
high  opinion  of  you.  He  was  saying  to-day  how 
much  deeper  and  more  earnest  you  were  " 

"  For  mercy's  sake,"  exclaimed  Mildred,  flush 
ing  to  her  ears,  "  don't  tell  me  what  he  said !  " 

"  Why  ?  Are  you  too  conscientious  to  accept  a 
compliment  when  you  have  n't  a  4  trade '  ?  " 

"  I  have  plenty  of  4  trades.'  Jack  never  talks 
about  you  without  using  superlatives." 

"  Dear  Jack.  He  is  far  too  appreciative,"  re 
turned  Clover,  wishing  it  were  light  enough  to  see 
how  her  sister  accepted  this ;  "  but  you  have  n't 
told  me  how  Mr.  Page  hurt  you." 

"  No,  it  was  the  truth  that  hurt  me." 

"  Mr.  Page  is  a  very  good  representative  of 
that,"  smiled  Clover. 

"  We  were  coming  out  of  Old  Vienna,  and  you 
and  Jack  fell  behind  to  speak  to  one  another,  and 
I  addressed  Mr.  Page.  He  looked  at  me  vaguely, 
and  answered  at  random.  Well,  it  was  the  way 
that  trifle  affected  me  that  made  me  see  Mildred 
Bryant  as  I  had  never  seen  her  before.  I  was 
deeply  offended,  yes,  angry,  that  the  important 
favor  of  a  remark  from  my  lips  should  be  disre 
garded.  Oh,  Clover,  the  disgrace  of  it !  " 

The  speaker's  voice  was  unsteady,  and  she  sud 
denly  covered  her  face  with  her  hands. 

Clover  leaned  forward  and  put  a  hand  on  her 
knee. 


324  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Is  n't  it  beautiful,"  she  said  earnestly,  "  to  find 
yourself  shrinking  from  sin  ?  It  is  so  safe  to  con 
demn  it  in  ourselves.  Hatred  of  evil  is  only  treach 
erous  when  we  feel  it  for  the  mistakes  of  others." 

"  The  worst  of  it  was  that  I  knew  I  should  have 
felt  less  injured  had  it  not  been  that  another 
woman  was  what  was  preoccupying  his  attention. 
He  was  thinking  of  you,  and  I  resented  it.  I 
could  n't  live  if  I  did  n't  tell  you.  It  proved  to  me 
that  I  was  growing  into  a  regular  —  oh,  a  regular 
octopus.  Everything  must  be  absorbed  to  feed  my 
vanity,  and  especially  every  man." 

"  Why,  Mildred,  I  am  so  glad  for  you,"  said 
Clover  simply,  her  cool  tones  falling  on  the 
other's  scornful  heat  and  extinguishing  its  fire. 
"  We  have  to  come  to  these  places,  you  know, 
for  we  must  n't  be  left  in  our  badness,  and  a  little 
light  is  let  in  at  a  time  as  we  can  bear  it." 

"  But  I  can't  bear  it,"  exclaimed  Mildred  wildly, 
"  for  it  is  second  nature  to  me  to  be  vain  and  ex 
acting." 

"  You  won't  indulge  it  now." 

"Yes,  I  shall." 

"  Not  so  carelessly  as  before.  All  this  is  what 
comes  into  the  battle  of  life.  One  part  of  our 
dual  nature  loves  our  evils  and  the  other  hates 
them.  You  can  have  God's  help  if  you  ask  it,  you 
know,  and  you  will  find  how  little  and  how  decep 
tive  the  progress  will  be  that  you  make  without 
Him." 

"  Your  battle  seems  won,  Clover." 


ON  THE  LAGOON.  325 

"  I  am  in  one  of  the  peaceful  places  now,  and  I 
am  very  happy  and  grateful.  I  was  n't  given  your 
tempestuous  nature,  dear,  so  our  experiences  always 
are  and  will  be  different.  The  Father  in  mercy 
lets  us  develop  as  irresponsibly  as  the  plants  until 
we  get  such  a  glimpse  into  our  souls  as  you  had 
to-day ;  but  then  responsibility  begins.  It  is  sin 
ning  against  light  that  warps  and  distorts  us." 

"  I  wonder  if  it  would  be  good  for  me  to  be  mar 
ried,"  said  Mildred  musingly.  "When  girls  are 
married,  they  haven't  much  time  to  think  about 
themselves." 

"  It  is  good  for  every  girl  to  marry  when  she 
truly  loves  a  man  who  is  unexceptionable,"  re 
turned  Clover,  smiling  at  her  own  triteness.  "  But 
you  remember  the  girl  must  ask  herself,  not  Can  I 
live  with  this  man  ?  but  Can  I  live  without  him  ?  ' 

"Then  I  should  certainly  never  marry.  You 
did  n't  do  that,  Clover." 

Clover  looked  musingly  out  at  the  window. 
"  No ;  I  did  n't  do  that.  I  often  think  of  that  lit 
tle  ignorant  girl  who  married  dear  Mr.  Van  Tassel. 
I  don't  know  whether  I  did  right  or  not  ;  but  at 
the  time  I  thought  I  did,  and  that  is  all  I  have  any 
concern  with ;  but  I  was  not  in  freedom.  You  are 
in  freedom.  The  Can  I  live  without  him  ?  ought 
to  mean  Can  we  be  more  useful  together  than  we 
could  apart  ?  " 

"  Why,  you  don't  leave  a  girl  any  comfort  in 
thinking  about  herself  at  all,"  complained  Mildred, 
half  in  tears. 


326  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  There  isn't  much  comfort  in  it,  that  is  a  fact," 
returned  Clover,  smiling.  "  You  are  tired,  dear ; 
go  to  bed  now." 

They  rose,  and  Mildred  took  the  smaller  woman 
in  her  arms  and  their  cheeks  clung  together.  "  I 
am  unhappy,  Clover,"  she  said,  with  plaintive  sur 
prise  at  the  fact. 

"  It  is  so  restful,"  replied  the  other,  "  to  think 
you  have  all  eternity  before  you.  Even  if  we  only 
make  a  beginning  here,  it  will  be  all  right." 

"  I  like  your  arms  around  me,"  said  Mildred. 
"Let  me  sleep  with  you  to-night." 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

THE    HOTEL    DANCE. 

IT  was  Gorham  Page's  habit  to  drop  in  at  the 
Van  Tassel  house  before  making  his  nearly  daily 
visit  to  the  Fair. 

One  morning,  as  he  ascended  the  steps,  his  sis 
ter  met  him.  "  I  hoped  you  would  come,"  she 
said.  "  I  want  to  be  condoled  with.  Robert's 
foot  has  descended.  We  are  going  home." 

"  Oh,  I  am  sorry,"  replied  Gorham,  taking  the 
chair  she  offered  him ;  "  but  can't  some  arrange 
ment  be  made  ?  " 

"  No.  Robert  has  said  '  positively  ; '  and  when 
he  says  'positively,'  I  never  waste  any  more 
nervous  force.  Poor,  dear  boy,  he  wants  to  stay 
as  badly  as  I  do,  but  we  have  been  here  longer 
than  we  expected  already,  and  after  all  I  would 
rather  go  back  than  to  give  up  the  apartment 
and  go  to  the  poorhouse,  which  he  says  is  the  al 
ternative." 

"  I  must  go  to  Boston  before  long,"  said  Page. 
"  Would  n't  you  like  to  stay  and  go  back  with 
me?" 

"  Let  Robert  go  home  alone  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  No,  I  thank  you,"  with  a  firm  shake  of  the 


328  SWEET  CLOVER. 

head.     "  I    should  n't  care  for  the   Fair  without 
Kobert." 

"  That  is  nice,"  remarked  Gorham,  regarding 
her  attentively.  "I  think  I  should  like  my  wife 
to  feel  like  that." 

Hilda  laughed.  "  Oh,  that  vague  and  shadowy 
wife  of  yours !  Once  I  believed  in  her.  Too  bad 
that  such  a  good-natured  match-maker  as  I  would 
have  been  should  be  burdened  with  such  an  impos 
sible  brother  as  you.  I  have  lost  all  my  interest 
in  you,  and  have  transferred  it  to  Jack." 

Gorham  smiled  pensively,  and  struck  the  palm 
of  one  of  his  hands  with  the  knuckles  of  the  other. 
"  You  think  yourself  very  clever  about  Jack,  don't 
you?" 

"It  goes  without  saying  that  I  am  clever,  of 
course,  but  this  occasion  does  not  demand  much 
insight.  If  they  were  a  trifle  more  secret  in  their 
chats  in  corners  and  their  exchange  of  masonic 
signals,  I  should  think,  perhaps,  I  was  a  treacher 
ous  guest  to  mention  them ;  but  they  enjoy  their 
little  comedy,  and  are  perfectly  willing  others 
should.  I  think  it  is  unkind  in  them  not  to  come 
out  openly  and  allow  me  to  give  them  my  blessing 
before  I  go." 

"  I  must  say,  Hilda,  I  don't  enjoy  hearing  you 
use  that  tone  about  Mrs.  Van  Tassel." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  my  tone  ? "  asked 
Hilda. 

"  It  is  light,"  answered  Page,  with  grave  simpli 
city. 


THE  HOTEL  DANCE.  329 

His  sister  stared  a  moment,  then  burst  into 
laughter.  "  What  crotchet  have  you  taken  now?  " 
she  asked.  "  Does  n't  the  match  please  you  ?  " 

"  It  is  not  a  match.  You  are  laboring  under  a 
false  idea.  If  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  should  ever  distin 
guish  a  man  in  the  way  you  are  speaking  of,  it  will 
come  to  our  knowledge  in  a  different  manner  from 
the  one  you  describe.  We  are  talking  in  low 
tones  in  a  corner  now ;  but  we  are  not  sentimen 
tally  interested  in  one  another." 

"  An  unanswerable  argument,"  said  Hilda  good- 
naturedly.  "  You  need  n't  take  the  matter  au 
grand  serieux.  I  am  profoundly  grateful  to  Mrs. 
Van  Tassel,  and  think  her  one  of  the  most  charm 
ing  women  I  ever  knew." 

Page's  countenance,  which  had  been  grave  to 
sternness,  relaxed  until,  slowly  smiling,  he  looked 
into  his  companion's  eyes  and  beamed  mutely  upon 
her. 

Hilda  noted  the  change  with  private  astonish 
ment,  and  determined  to  experiment. 

"  She  is  so  refined,"  she  added  after  a  pause. 

"  The  perfection  of  refinement,"  said  Page. 

"And  very  graceful." 

Gorham  nodded.  "It  is  a  pleasure  to  see  her 
move,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"  She  has  plenty  of  spirit  too,  and  wit." 

"  Yes,  indeed.  In  whatever  company  she  is,  she 
makes  her  mark." 

"  And  it  is  never  a  black  and  blue  one  either," 
responded  Hilda,  passing  her  handkerchief  over 


330  SWEET  CLOVER. 

her  lips  as  she  returned  the  rapt  gaze  of  the  ear 
nest  face  drinking  in  her  words.  "  There  is  so 
much  in  that.  Her  wit  could  never  hurt.  Her 
uniform,  considerate  kindness  is  her  most  promi 
nent  trait." 

"Yes,"  responded  Page,  faithfully  antiphonal. 
"'Only  a  pure,  true  heart  like  hers  could  prompt 
such  behavior." 

"  There  is  a  subtle  charm  and  stimulus  in  her 
society." 

"  And  a  restfulness,  a  satisfaction.  It  is  hard 
to  word  it,  but  you  have  felt  it ;  you  recognize  it. 
One  can  only  say,  it  is  good  to  be  in  her  presence." 

Hilda  pushed  back  her  chair  so  suddenly  that 
her  companion  started.  "  Gorham  Page,"  she 
said,  gazing  at  him  with  sparkling  eyes,  and  ris 
ing,  "don't  you  see  what  has  happened?  " 

"  No,"  he  answered,  removing  his  fixed  gaze  and 
pushing  aside  the  vines,  the  better  to  peer  about. 

"  Not  out  there !  "  exclaimed  his  sister. 

"  Oh,"  he  answered  mildly.  "  I  thought  perhaps 
Blitzen  had  killed  Electra." 

Mrs.  Page  burst  into  laughter.  Peal  after  peal 
broke  from  her,  and  she  clasped  her  hand  to  her 
side. 

Kobert  appeared  on  the  scene. 

"  It  is  time  you  arrived,"  said  Gorham,  vaguely 
smiling.  "  I  have  n't  the  least  idea  what  ails 
Hilda." 

Mrs.  Page  dropped  her  head  on  her  husband's 
shoulder. 


THE  HOTEL   DANCE.  331 

"  Gorham  thought  —  thought  that  —  that  per 
haps  Blitzen  — had  killed  Electra,"  she  gasped. 

"  How  intensely  amusing,"  remarked  Robert. 
"  This  girl  is  tired  to  death,  Gorham,"  he  went  on, 
patting  his  wife's  convulsed  shoulder.  "  She  thinks 
she  does  n't  want  to  go  home,  but  I  know  it  is  time. 
Mrs.  Van  Tassel  urges  our  remaining.  What  a 
spirit  of  sunshine  she  is !  If  ever  there  was  an 
angel  in  a  house,  she  is  one." 

Hilda  lifted  her  head,  to  look  at  Gorham's  face. 
She  found  it  beaming  upon  his  brother  with  tender 
delight,  and  falling  back  she  relapsed  into  another 
spasm  of  laughter. 

"  Stop  this,  stop  this,"  said  her  husband,  giving 
her  a  little  shake. 

"  I  am  really  afraid  Hilda  is  n't  well,"  said  Gor 
ham  with  concern.  "  I  am  sorry  if  she  is  too  tired, 
for  I  wanted  to  see  if  you  all  would  n't  like  to  come 
over  to  the  dance  at  the  hotel  to-night." 

"  That  is  sensible,  profoundly  sensible,"  remarked 
his  brother.  "  What  could  finish  off  a  day  at  the 
Fair  more  appropriately  than  a  dancing  party !  " 

"  You  've  got  to  go,  Robert,"  said  Hilda,  wiping 
her  eyes.  "  It  will  be  lovely.  We  will  smoke  on 
the  piazza,  and  watch  the  others  through  the  win 
dows." 

"  Yes,  I  know  how  you  enjoy  looking  on  at  a 
dancing  party." 

"  Yes,  thank  you,  Gorham,  we  will  come,"  con 
tinued  Mrs.  Page  relentlessly.  "  I  shall  just  go 
down  to  the  Court  of  Honor  for  one  last  look," 


332  SWEET   CLOVER. 

she  added,  sighing.  "  I  will  go  up  in  that  little 
balcony  at  the  corner  of  the  Electrical  Building, 
and  gaze  once  more  down  the  stately,  spacious 
square.  I  shall  see  the  peacock-blue  lake  through 
the  columns  of  the  Peristyle,  look  up  into  the  Ital 
ian  sky  roofing  all,  and  say  my  prayers  or  sing  the 
doxology ;  then  I  shall  come  home  and  pack.  Oh, 
Eobert,  how  can  we  leave  it  all !  " 

That  evening  Jack  entered  the  parlor  and  found 
Clover  leaning  back  in  an  armchair.  He  dropped 
into  a  seat  beside  her. 

"  You  look  fitter  to  adorn  some  marble  shrine  in 
the  White  City  than  to  decorate  a  humdrum,  mor 
tal  home,"  he  remarked,  regarding  her  thin  gown 
approvingly. 

"  I  believe  I  never  saw  you  before  in  a  dress- 
suit,"  she  answered  lazily.  "  You  look  very  neat, 
my  dear.  That  is  what  mother  used  to  say  to  us 
to  suppress  our  vanity,  when  we  were  in  festive 
array.  It  is  rather  amusing  to  see  Fair  pilgrims 
in  evening  dress,  is  n't  it  ?  " 

"  Where  is  Mildred  ?  "  asked  Van  Tassel,  look 
ing  about. 

"She  will  be  here  directly.  If  my  sister  were 
entirely  costumed  at  any  appointed  time,  I  should 
be  anxious  about  her." 

"  I  have  n't  had  a  chance  to  confess  before," 
went  on  Jack,  low  and  hastily.  "  I  spoke  to  her 
too  soon,  after  all.  I  need  a  keeper." 

"  Oh,  Jack  !     I  'm  sorry." 

Clover  looked  dismayed,  and  her  tone  was  heart 
felt. 


THE   HOTEL   DANCE.  333 

"  The  milk  is  spilled,  though  ;  there  is  no  going 
back.  Did  n't  she  tell  you?" 

"  No,  indeed.     When  did  it  happen  ?  " 

"  The  night  we  took  the  gondola  ride." 

"  Days  since,  then.  You  are  a  wonder,  Jack. 
Are  you  going  to  stay  here  and  live  it  down  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  stay  here  if  you  will  let  me." 

"  Let  you  ?  It  is  your  home.  Oh  Jack,  I  am 
afraid  of  your  tone.  You  haven't  given  up.  I 
must  tell  you,  though,  that  Mildred  would  be  hon 
est,  uncompromisingly  honest,  in  a  serious  matter 
like  that.  She  is  not  a  coquette." 

"  I  know  it." 

"  If  she  does  n't  love  you,  you  do  not  want  her." 

"  I  don't  know  whether  she  loves  me  or  not,  and 
I  don't  believe  she  knows  any  better." 

As  his  handsome,  frank  eyes  looked  up  at  her, 
Clover's  heart  swelled  with  the  approval  and  ad 
miration  she  felt. 

"  We  must  relax  to  it,"  she  said  involuntarily. 

"  Or  brace  up  to  it,"  he  replied,  with  his  brilliant 
smile ;  "  but  it  is  too  late  now  for  the  Petruchio 
act,  Clover.  I  have  literally  and  figuratively  given 
myself  away." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other  simply  ;  "  what  you  have 
to  do  now  is  to  leave  her  in  freedom.  The  Lord 
loves  you  both  alike.  If  He  does  not  give  you 
Mildred,  it  will  be  because  that  marriage  would 
stand  in  the  way  of  your  real  advancement." 

"  Do  you  really  believe  that  ?  "  Van  Tassel  re 
garded  her  in  curiosity  and  surprise. 


334  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Why,  Jack,  think  it  out  some  time.  How  can 
it  be  any  other  way  ? "  she  answered,  speaking 
hastily,  for  she  heard  a  rustle  on  the  stairs ;  and  a 
moment  after  her  voice  ceased,  Mildred  came 
into  the  room. 

She  was  dressed  in  a  pale  violet  gown,  which 
revealed  her  superb  neck,  and  she  pulled  long 
gloves  up  over  her  bare  arms  as  she  came. 

Jack  sprang  to  his  feet.  How  could  she  help 
liking  the  homage  in  his  eyes  ? 

"  I  know  I  have  n't  kept  you  waiting,"  she  said 
brightly,  "for  Mrs.  Page's  light  is  still  burning, 
and  of  course  it  will  take  her  some  little  time  to 
wake  up  Mr.  Page." 

Hilda's  feet,  in  their  little  black  satin  slippers, 
came  flying  down  the  stairs  as  she  spoke. 

"  Is  Kobert  in  a  hammock  ?  "  she  exclaimed  ap 
prehensively.  "  I  meant  to  stick  them  both  full  of 
pins,  but  I  have  n't  had  time.  That  poor  dear  man 
has  done  a  lot  to-day,  in  spite  of  all  my  warnings. 
I  expect  he  will  sleep  from  here  to  Boston,  when 
we  get  started.  You  two  girls  look  perfectly 
lovely.  I  shall  wake  him  up  with  that  informa 
tion." 

As  they  were  all  finally  setting  out,  Gorham 
Page  came  up  the  walk. 

"  I  thought  I  would  wander  down  and  make 
sure  of  you,"  he  said  to  Clover,  as  he  turned  back 
beside  her. 

"  You  were  sure  of  us,"  she  returned.  "  I  have 
not  danced  for  five  years.  It  seems  to  me  I 


THE  HOTEL  DANCE.  335 

should  never  have  thought  of  it  again  but  for 
your  invitation." 

"  You  do  not  care  for  the  amusement,  then  ?  " 

"  Clover  Bryant  used  to  care  greatly,"  she  said, 
smiling ;  "  but  perhaps  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  has  for 
gotten  how  to  dance." 

They  found  the  long,  spacious  piazza  of  the 
hotel  gay  with  promenaders. 

Robert  Page  groaned.  "  How  marvelous  is  the 
endurance  of  man  and  woman  kind,"  he  remarked. 
"  How  many  of  these  people  do  you  suppose  have 
been  doing  the  Fair  to-day?  " 

"You  mustn't  talk  about  the  Fair,"  returned 
his  wife.  "  It  is  fortunate  for  you  that  the  diver 
sion  came  up,  else  I  should  have  spent  this  evening 
weeping  because  I  have  said  good-by." 

"  Have  you  come  over  here  with  the  notion  that 
I  am  going  to  dance  ?  "  asked  Page  mildly. 

"  No,  I  have  n't  the  least  idea  you  will.  I 
would  n't  ask  it,  since  you  were  foolish  enough  to 
tramp  miles  to-day." 

"  How  could  I  help  that,  my  dear,  with  the  aw 
ful  '  last  chance  '  sensation  hanging  over  me  ?  " 

The  orchestra  in  the  hotel  parlor  began  to  play. 
Jack  Van  Tassel  came  up  to  where  the  husband 
and  wife  were  sitting. 

"  Are  you  going  to  dance,  Hilda  ?  " 

"  Apparently  not,"  she  answered  gayly. 

"  Give  me  this,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  don't  need  to.  Why,  where  are  Mil 
dred  and  Clover  ?  " 


336  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"They  are  sitting  over  yonder.  They  have 
many  friends  here.  It  seems  to  me  this  is  rather 
a  peculiar  way  for  you  to  treat  my  invitation." 

"  No,  Jack,"  said  Page,  with  a  heart-rending  sigh. 
"  The  old  man  will  have  to  dance  once.  '  Let  it 
be  soon,'  as  the  song  says.  Come,  my  love,  weary 
and  footsore,  let  us  tread  the  dreamy  maze  to 
gether." 

"  Robert  really  wants  to  dance,"  said  Hilda  to 
Van  Tassel  confidentially.  "  The  music  inspires 
him.  I  have  n't  the  heart  to  refuse.  Thank  you. 
Perhaps  later  we  can  have  a  turn." 

"  Now,  was  n't  that  sweet  of  Jack  and  exactly 
like  him  ?  "  asked  Hilda,  when  they  had  drifted  in 
among  the  floating  couples.  "  He  was  afraid  you 
were  going  to  be  immovable;  and  the  very  first 
dance,  when  of  course  you  would  suppose  he  would 
ask  Mildred  " 

"  Or  Mrs.  Van  Tassel,  according  to  your  theo 
ries." 

"  My  dear,  I  am  shaken  on  my  theories.  I  may 
have  been  wrong.  I  hope  I  have  been.  What 
do  you  think,  Robert?" 

"  I  can't  tell  any  of  my  thoughts  while  I  am 
dancing,  Hilda.  Don't  ask  it.  If  you  do,  I  shall 
probably  step  on  your  foot.  I  have  the  greatest 
sympathy  with  the  man  who,  when  his  partner  in 
sisted  on  talking  to  him  in  a  round  dance,  replied 
as  follows :  Yes,  two,  three  ;  one,  no,  three ;  one, 
two,  yes  ;  and  so  forth." 

"  What  a  goose  you  are,  dear ;  but  you  dance 


THE  HOTEL   DANCE.  337 

as  well  as  you  ever  did,  if  you  have  forgotten  how 
to  say  sweet  nothings  during  a  waltz." 

"  Pray  remember  how  much  more  breath  I  used 
to  have.  The  spirit  is  willing  still,  but  the  flesh 
is  too  many  for  me." 

"  There  go  Gorham  and  Clover,"  said  Mrs.  Page 
with  some  excitement,  pausing  in  the  dance,  and 
taking  her  husband's  willing  arm.  "  Robert,  I 
want  you  to  watch  Gorham  to-night,"  she  added 
impressively. 

u  More  mysteries  ?  "  returned  Page  plaintively. 
"  I  don't  see  anything  out  of  the  way  about  him. 
He  is  rather  stunning  in  a  dress-suit." 

"  I  wonder  if  Clover  thinks  so,"  responded  Hilda 
significantly. 

"  Oh,  you  are  only  marrying  him  again,"  re 
marked  her  husband,  with  an  air  of  enlightenment. 
"  If  all  your  plans  succeeded,  I  don't  know  what 
would  become  of  Gorham.  He  could  n't  even  take 
refuge  in  Utah,  for  I  understand  the  Mormons  are 
discouraging  plural  marriages." 

"  You  can  chaff,  Robert ;  but  mark  my  words, 
some  day  you  will  look  back  to  this  evening  and 
exclaim  over  my  cleverness.  I  have  n't  told  you 
all  I  know.  I  have  proofs,  if  I  chose  to  " 

"  Yes,  my  dear,  your  fate  is  the  common  one  of 
those  who  cry  '  Wolf  '  too  often.  I  've  heard  your 
proofs  before."  Then  squeezing  his  wife's  hand 
against  his  side,  he  added,  "  There  is  n't  another 
Hilda  for  poor  Gorham,  so  how  can  I  take  a  breath 
less  interest  in  his  prospects  ?  " 


338  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Mrs.  Page  was  mollified,  of  course ;  but  she 
shrugged  her  shoulder.  "  I  don't  understand  how 
you  can  see  those  four  people  together  and  not 
weave  romances.  Now,  for  instance,  I  am  burning 
to  know  why  Mildred  and  Jack  are  not  dancing 
this  first  dance  together,  instead  of  with  Lieuten 
ant  Eames  and  his  cousin.  I  dare  say  poor  Jack 
lost  his  chance  by  coming  to  take  care  of  me/' 

But  Hilda  was  wrong.  A  little  circle  of  friends 
had  gathered  about  Clover  and  Mildred  as  soon  as 
they  appeared  on  the  hotel  piazza,  and  Mildred 
saw  at  once  in  Jack's  quiet  withdrawal  that  he  did 
not  intend  to  ask  any  favor  for  himself.  She  liked 
this  in  theory,  but  it  half-vexed  her  to  find  herself 
alertly  cognizant  of  his  every  movement  even  while 
she  chatted  and  laughed  with  her  other  friends. 
She  saw  him  approach  Hilda,  and  wondered  if  he 
were  asking  her  to  dance  ;  then,  when  the  latter 
moved  away  into  the  hotel  with  her  husband,  Mil 
dred  talked  volubly  to  Eames  in  order  to  prevent 
his  having  an  opportunity  to  offer  himself  for  her 
partner.  These  dances  were  informal.  There  were 
no  printed  programmes.  She  wished  to  give  Jack 
time  to  return  to  their  group  and  claim  her  before 
the  lieutenant  should. 

How  exasperatingly  deliberate  his  motions 
seemed  to  her,  as  he  sauntered  along ! 

"  I  can  easily  believe  what  you  say,  Mr.  Eames," 
she  said  glibly.  "  The  papers  print  a  great  many 
of  the  amusing  blunders  that  are  made,  and  I  am 
sure  they  are  not  exaggerated,  by  my  own  experi- 


THE  HOTEL   DANCE.  339 

ence.  There  were  two  women  standing  near  me 
in  front  of  the  Manufactures  Building  the  other 
day,  and  one  said  to  the  other  :  4  Oh,  look  at  that 
big  statute  of  Liberty ;  do  you  suppose  it 's  solid 
gold  ?  '  4  No !  '  replied  the  other  scornfully,  4  it 's 
holler.  If  that  was  solid  gold  it  would  be  worth 
ten  thousand  dollars.'  Then  this  sophisticated  one 
turned  to  me.  c  Can  you  tell  me  where  the  Court 
of  Honor  is  ?  Is  it  in  the  Administration  Build 
ing?'  I  answered  that  this  was  the  Court  of 
Honor,  and  I  suppose  I  gestured  generally,  for  she 
looked  down  at  the  Basin  and  then  at  me  with  a 
pitying  smile.  4  Oh  110,'  she  said,  '  that  is  the  la 
goon.'  " 

Why  would  Jack  stop  to  look  in  at  the  window  ? 
How  slow  he  was  !  "  Oh  yes,  and,  Mr.  Eames,  was 
there  any  truth  in  that  story  I  read  about  the  bat 
tle-ship?  Somebody  says,  you  know,  that  al 
though  it  looks  so  solid  and  impressive,  an  angry 
man  could  do  it  considerable  damage  with  a  crow 
bar,  and  I  read  lately  about  some  country  people 
who  were  visiting  it.  While  they  were  exploring, 
the  ship's  bells  rang,  and  coincidently  the  whistle 
of  a  neighboring  tug  began  to  blow.  The  story 
said  those  poor  people  thought  the  boat  was  going 
to  start  and  rushed  for  the  gang-plank,  panic- 
stricken.  One  man  fell  into  the  water,  and  a  wo 
man  broke  her  ankle.  It  ought  not  to  be  amusing, 
but  it  is." 

"  Ha,  ha,"  responded  Eames,  "  there  is  a  grain  of 
truth  in  it ;  "  (Jack  was  drawing  near)  u  the  rest  is 


340  SWEET  CLOVER. 

the  reporter's  imagination.  I  can  tell  you  what  was 
the  foundation  of  that  yarn."  (Jack  approached 
and  stood  near  the  speaker.)  "Won't  you  dance 
this  with  me,  Miss  Bryant,  and  I  will  initiate  you 
into  some  of  the  methods  of  newspaper  men  as  dis 
covered  by  the  officer-of-the-day  at  Jackson  Park." 

They  moved  away,  and  Helen  Eames,  who  had 
audaciously  escaped  a  would-be  partner  in  the  hope 
of  this  very  event,  fell  to  Jack's  lot. 

She  was  a  vivacious,  jolly  girl,  and  a  man  was 
not  obliged  to  talk  much  while  with  her,  so  Van 
Tassel  yielded  to  her  determination  to  detain  him 
at  her  side  as  long  as  was  feasible. 

Mildred,  promenading  with  her  partner  on  the 
piazza  after  the  dance,  passed  them  sitting  near 
the  water  where  one  could  see,  down  the  curve  of 
the  lake,  the  fireworks  of  the  White  City  burst 
ing  in  starry  brilliance.  Far  out  upon  Michigan's 
breast  shone  a  row  of  steady  lights,  beside  which, 
as  on  a  liquid  boulevard,  the  illuminated  passenger- 
boats  plied  up  and  down. 

Van  Tassel  was  playing  with  his  companion's 
fan,  and  laughing  as  though  he  were  well  enter 
tained,  at  the  moment  Mildred  passed  by. 

The  sight  did  not  please  her. 

"  It  is  all  my  monumental  vanity,"  she  thought. 
"  I  am  glad  Jack  is  n't  one  of  the  sort  of  men  who 
stand  around  in  corners  and  watch  one  tragically." 

She  had  danced  several  times  when  Clover,  left 
near  her  by  Gorham  Page  while  he  went  to  bring 
her  a  glass  of  water,  addressed  her. 


THE  HOTEL  DANCE.  341 

"  You  have  n't  danced  with  Jack  once,"  she  said, 
with  hasty  reproach. 

"  Have  n't  I  ?  "     Mildred  raised  her  eyebrows. 

"  But  are  n't  you  going  to,  dear  ?  " 

"  Not  unless  he  asks  me,  darling." 

Clover  stared,  then  turned  away  to  smile.  She 
had  not  often  seen  Mildred  in  such  an  ill-humor. 

"  Poor,  dear,  unconscious  Petruchio,"  she  re 
flected.  "  I  wonder  if  he  is  building  better^  than 
he  knows." 

Here  Page  returned  with  the  water,  and  she 
could  say  no  more,  even  if  she  wished.  Moreover, 
Gorham  now  addressed  Mildred,  to  claim  the  dance 
for  which  the  strains  of  the  Washington  Post 
March  were  already  sounding  assertively. 

Jack  had  this  two-step  with  Hilda,  and  when  it 
was  over  he  brought  her  to  a  seat  near  those  which 
Mildred  and  Gorham  had  taken  on  the  piazza. 

"  Mildred,"  remarked  Hilda,  "  this  young  man 
does  know  how  to  dance." 

Van  Tassel  bowed  until  the  parting  in  his  hair 
was  visible. 

"That  is  nice,"  returned  Miss  Bryant  languidly. 

"The  fireworks  are  over,"  continued  Hilda. 
"  That  awful  word  '  nevermore  '  is  hanging  over 
everything  for  me  to-night.  I  meant  to  be  out 
here  to  see  the  last  piece,  but  I  was  n't,  —  that  su 
perb  volcano,  or  mine,  or  whatever  name  they  try 
to  describe  it  by.  I  want  you  all  to  think  of  me 
with  compassion  every  time  you  see  it  hereafter. 
Where  do  you  suppose  Robert  is?  " 


342  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  Perhaps  I  ought  to  know,"  suggested  Gorham. 
"  I  will  hunt  him  up  if  you  will  allow  me,  Miss 
Mildred." 

"  I  '11  go  with  you,"  said  Mrs.  Page.  "  It  is 
rather  cool  here  to  sit  still  after  dancing.  You  will 
excuse  me,  Jack?  I  think  I  ought  to  let  poor 
Robert  off  now,  and  take  him  home." 

It  was  the  first  time  Mildred  and  Jack  had  been 
alone  together  since  the  memorable  evening. 

"  May  I  have  the  next  dance  ? "  asked  Van 
Tassel  abruptly. 

"  If  you  like,  "  answered  the  girl  carelessly. 
"  Have  n't  you  had  enough  dancing  ?  " 

"  I  have  n't  had  any,"  he  answered  briefly ;  and 
Mildred  told  herself  that  the  demon  of  her  vanity 
had  received  what  it  craved,  so  warm  a  sensation 
of  satisfaction  stole  around  her  heart. 

"  I  thought  I  would  make  myself  safe  before  one 
of  your  other  friends  espied  you  here ;  but  if  you 
are  tired  " 

"  I  am  never  tired  —  physically,"  said  the  girl, 
with  a  slow  smile. 

"  I  was  only  going  to  say  that  I  would  be  con 
tent  to  sit  out  the  next  with  you ;  although  we 
have  not  danced  together  since  that  night  in  the 
boathouse."  Jack  smiled.  "  Do  you  remember 
what  you  told  me  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes.  You  made  that  child  very  happy. 
She  owes  you  a  dance." 

"  These  surroundings  are  strange.  Have  you 
been  thinking  of  it  ?  " 


THE  HOTEL    DANCE.  343 

"  Yes.  Only  last  year  this  ground  was  a  tangle 
of  goldenrod  and  willow-trees.  How  many  times 
we  have  gone  bathing  on  that  beach  !  It  was  as 
good  a  playground  for  jolly  youngsters  as  could  be 
imagined  ;  and  now  "  — 

She  paused. 

"  Now,  the  music  has  commenced,"  suggested 
Jack,  rising.  "  In  consideration  of  the  manner  in 
which  I  have  effaced  myself  so  far,  you  should 
allow  our  dance  to  begin  promptly." 

They  entered  the  parlor  by  the  door  which 
leads  from  the  east  piazza.  She  put  her  hand  in 
his,  and  they  glided  away  over  the  polished  floor 
among  the  pillars  with  their  vine-like  wreaths  of 
electric  lights. 

Amid  the  scattering  groups  which,  outside, 
watched  the  dancers  through  the  windows,  was  one 
spectator  who  was  seeing  a  conventional  dancing 
party  for  the  first  time  in  her  life.  It  had  sud 
denly  occurred  to  Robert  Page  that  it  would  be 
worth  the  exertion  of  going  after  Aunt  Love  to 
see  her  view  this  pretty  scene  ;  and  when  Hilda  and 
Gorham  reached  the  front  entrance  of  the  hotel  in 
their  search  for  Robert,  they  found  him  ascend 
ing  the  steps  with  Miss  Berry. 

"  The  young  ladies  did  ask  me  if  I  did  n't  want 
to  come  over,  and  I  thought  I  should  feel  out 
o'  place,"  she  said ;  "  but  Mr.  Page,  he  just  made 
me,  so  here  I  am." 

"  Now,  come  to  this  window,"  said  Robert,  "  and 
tell  me  what  you  think  of  that." 


344  SWEET   CLOVER. 

The  others  clustered  around  Miss  Lovina,  as  she 
murmured  and  exclaimed  in  her  surprise. 

"  I  never  approved  o'  clancin',"  she  said.  "  I 
never  saw  any  before.  Mr.  Gorham,  do  you  re 
member  that  hall  in  the  New  York  Buildiii'  ?  That 
must  be  temptin'  to  young  critters  when  it 's  lighted 
up,  and  the  music 's  a-playin'.  Why,"  eagerly, 
"  see  Miss  Mildred  and  Mr.  Jack.  My,  don't  they 
go  pretty  !  And  there  's  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  herself 
and  some  feller.  Why,"  turning  suddenly  upon 
Gorham,  "  why  ain't  you  in  there  dancin'  with  her  ?  " 

"  I  have  danced  with  her  twice,"  he  answered. 
"  I  must  n't  be  a  monopolist,  although  it  is  a  temp 
tation.  She  is  by  far  the  best  dancer  here." 

Upon  this  Hilda  pressed  her  small  satin  shoe 
against  her  husband's  foot,  and  he  obtusely  moved 
it  out  of  her  way. 

"  Well,  I  declare,"  exclaimed  Miss  Berry,  gazing 
in  ever-warming  admiration,  "  if  it  ain't  enough  to 
make  a  body  want  to  be  young  and  pretty.  To 
think  this  is  the  real,  wicked  thing  itself,  and  I 
ain't  shocked.  What 's  the  matter  with  me,  Mr. 
Gorham?" 

"  Considering  your  prejudices  and  traditions,  it 
is  a  little  odd.  Perhaps  it  is  because  you  cannot 
associate  an  idea  of  evil  with  anything  you  see 
Mrs.  Van  Tassel  engaging  in." 

Here  Mrs.  Page  again  endeavored  to  gain  her 
lord's  sympathy,  with  the  result  that  he  ejaculated  : 
"  Where  would  you  like  to  have  me  put  my  feet, 
Hilda?" 


THE  HOTEL   DANCE.  345 

"  Why  don't  you  go  in  there  and  dance,  Mr. 
Gorham?  "  pursued  Miss  Berry. 

"  Am  I  so  young  and  pretty  that  you  want  to  see 
me  ?  Well,  if  Hilda  is  willing  to  favor  me." 

"  Oh  certainly,  so  long  as  Robert  does  n't  care 
to  go  home.  Au  revoir,  dears." 

"  Now,  then,"  Aunt  Love  turned  upon  her  com 
panion  argumentatively,  "  are  you  perfectly  willin' 
a  man  should  put  his  arm  around  your  wife's 
waist?" 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  should  object  seriously." 

"  How  about  that,  then  ?  "  Miss  Berry  gestured 
toward  the  hall. 

"For  a  man  to  place  his  hand  on  a  woman's 
waist  to  steady  and  support  her  is  not  to  put  his 
arm  around  her.  There  are  too  many  other  things 
for  a  couple  to  think  of  in  guiding  themselves  suc 
cessfully  through  a  crowd  of  dancers  to  allow  of 
their  usually  being  conscious  of  the  intimacy  of 
their  position.  Don't  be  afraid  to  admire  the 
dancing,  Aunt  Love.  It  can  be  abused,  like  every 
thing  else ;  but  it  is  an  excellent  exercise,  inculcat 
ing  grace,  strength,  and  good  manners." 

"  Well,  now,  I  'm  goin'  to  tell  some  folks  I  know 
what  you  say.  Ain't  your  wife  just  as  light  as  a 
fairy,  and  don't  your  brother  look  handsome  to 
night  ?  No,  sir,  there  ain't  any  folks  here  as  good- 
lookin'  as  ours." 

When  the  waltz  was  finished,  Gorham  Page  and 
Hilda  approached  Clover  and  told  her  that  Aunt 
Love  was  without.  She  excused  herself  from  her 


346  SWEET   CLOSER. 

partner  to  go  with  them,  and  soon  afterward  Gor- 
ham  walked  home  with  her. 

"  Thank  you  so  much  for  coming,"  he  said,  when 
he  was  bidding  her  good-night. 

"  I  am  sure  we  have  all  to  thank  you,"  she 
answered.  "  Is  n't  it  hard  to  be  reconciled  to  let 
ting  your  brother  and  Hilda  go  ?  We  have  been 
such  a  pleasant  party." 

"  Yes,"  returned  Page,  looking  down  at  her  as 
she  stood  in  her  white  wrap,  an  unconsciously  ador 
ing  expression  in  his  eyes ;  "  this  summer  is  an 
experience  that  one  could  wish  would  never  end. 
Going  away,"  he  smiled  vaguely,  "leaving  you, 
having  these  weeks  come  to  an  end,  is  almost  as 
difficult  to  grasp  in  prospect  as  the  thought  of 
death." 

Clover  laughed  softly.  "  We  won't  borrow  trou 
ble,"  she  said.  "Good-night." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

DRESS    PARADE. 

"  Do  you  think  Jack  enjoyed  himself  ?  "  asked 
Clover,  when  her  sister  crossed  the  hall  to  her  room 
that  night  for  the  usual  last  word  before  retiring. 

"  I  suppose  he  did.  How  anxious  you  are  about 
Jack  all  the  time !  You  make  an  absolute  fetish  of 
him.  It  used  to  mislead  me." 

"  Did  it  ?  "  Clover  smiled,  and  turned  back  to 
her  dressing-table. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  and  no  wonder.  It  is  a  good  thing, 
however,  that  I  was  mistaken,  else  I  'm  sure  there 
would  have  been  coffee  and  pistols  ordered  for  two. 
I  want  your  opinion,  Clover,  on  a  delicate  question. 
Supposing  a  man  of  some  strength  of  character 
spends  a  whole  evening  at  a  dance  following  about 
after  a  woman,  smiling  pensively  at  her  face,  or 
the  back  of  her  head,  or  her  shoulder,  or  whatever 
of  her  he  can  get  to  smile  at,  and  finding  spots  of 
vantage  from  which  he  can  behold  her  dance  when 
he  is  not  dancing  with  her  himself.  Supposing  he 
flies  about  to  bring  her  glasses  of  water,  and  wraps, 
and  fans,  and  performs  all  the  other  offices  which 
are  usually  the  privilege  of  her  partners,  driving 
said  partners  to  the  last  pitch  of  exasperation. 
What,  I  ask  you,  is  the  matter  with  that  man  ?  " 


348  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Clover  turned  her  tender  glance  upon  her  sister, 
marveling  that  the  spirit  of  mischief  could  be  so 
rampant  in  her  eyes.  t 

"  Dear,"  she  said  reproachfully,  "  that  man  is 
very  deeply  in  love." 

"  That  is  what  I  supposed  myself,"  replied  Mil 
dred  demurely ;  "  but  I  wanted  to  be  sure  I  did  n't 
exaggerate." 

"  Too  seriously  so  for  you  to  make  merry  over 
it,"  continued  Clover,  shaking  her  head. 

"  Well,  if  you  are  n't  a  pair  of  you !  "  exclaimed 
Mildred,  bursting  into  laughter,  which  she  endeav 
ored  to  repress  out  of  consideration  of  the  lateness 
of  the  hour.  Then  she  seized  her  sister's  aston 
ished  face  between  her  hands  and  kissed  her  re 
peatedly.  "  I  suppose  there  is  n't  another  man  in 
the  world  beside  Jack  Van  Tassel,  is  there  ?  How 
glad  I  am,  I  am  not  attached  to  him ;  I  should  be 
wildly  jealous." 

"  Oh  —  let  me  go,  Mildred.     I  did  n't  know  jon 
meant  —  I  didn't  know  that  any  one  noticed" 
Clover  was  as  red  as  her  namesake,  and  looking 
everywhere  except  at  her  sister. 

"  Noticed !  Why,  my  dear,  he  was  a  perfect 
spectacle.  I  fancy  everybody  in  the  room  noticed 
except  himself.  He  does  n't  know  what  is  the  mat 
ter  with  him,  either.  He  asked  me  once,  when  we 
were  out  on  the  piazza,  if  there  was  n't  some  ma 
laria  here.  He  is  n't  able  to  sleep  of  late,  and  his 
appetite  isn't  right."  Mildred  went  off  into  a 
peal  of  laughter. 


DRESS  PARADE.  349 

"  Hush.  Do  please  hush,  Milly,"  implored  poor 
crimson  Clover  in  an  agony.  "  Supposing  Hilda 
should  hear  you  and  come  in.  She  will.  Oh, 
please" 

"  He  said  he  thought  he  should  take  —  oh  dear, 
I  'm  hurting  myself  —  he  thought  he  should  take 
quinine  !  "  Mildred  wiped  her  eyes  ;  "  and  I  said  — 
I  was  of  the  opinion  —  oh  my  !  that  something 
sweet  would  help  him  more  ;  extract  of  Clover, 
perhaps." 

"  Mildred,  tell  me  instantly  you  did  n't  say 
that !  " 

"  Well,  not  quite  so  much  as  that ;  but  he 
tempted  me  dreadfully." 

"  Go  to  bed,  Milly.  Go  to  bed  straight  off.  It 
is  late." 

"  All  right ;  but  is  n't  it  funny  ?  "  pleadingly. 

"  No.     I  do  not  think  it  funny  at  all." 

"  Oh,  you  must ;  that  big,  absent  man,  vainly 
mooning  around  among  his  data  " 

"  Well,  if  you  will  only  go  away  ;  perhaps  — 
it 's  a  little  —  There,  I  have  turned  the  gas 
out.  You  will  have  to  go." 

"  I  am  about  to  set  up  a  Gorham  to  match  your 
Jack,"  said  Mildred  irrepressibly.  "  I  am  going 
to  see  that  you  treat  the  poor  man  right,  and  help 
him  diagnose  his  symptoms.  I  am  going  to  give 
you  reproachful  glances  and  him  tender  ones.  I 
shall  have  to  tell  him  they  're  tender,  though  " 
But  here  Clover  succeeded  in  pushing  her  over  the 
threshold  and  closing  the  door  upon  her. 


350  SWEET   CLOVER. 

The  following  day  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Page  took  their 
departure,  the  latter  more  reluctant  than  ever  to 
leave  so  many  objects  of  interest. 

"  Ain't  it  lonely  without  'em  ?  "  said  Aunt  Love 
that  night  to  Clover,  after  dinner.  "  I  don't  know 
but  you  '11  want  to  ask  Mr.  Grorham  over  here  to 
help  fill  up  the  gap,"  she  suggested  rather  timidly. 

"  No,  I  think  we  won't  disturb  his  arrange 
ments,"  replied  Clover  quietly.  "  I  suppose  he 
can't  stay  here  very  much  longer  any  way." 

Miss  Berry  went  to  the  back  door  to  give  Blit- 
zen  and  Electra  their  supper,  and  arbitrate  between 
them  while  they  ate  it. 

"  She  won't  ask  him  over.  H'm !  "  she  solilo 
quized,  arranging  two  dishes  of  scraps,  while  the 
two  pets  barted  and  chirped  expectantly.  Then 
she  seated  herself  on  a  step  to  watch  their  proceed 
ings. 

"  That  looks  like  it,"  she  continued  in  her  own 
thoughts.  "  Well,  if  this  is  what  he  's  been  waitin' 
for,  thirty  odd  years,  I  don't  feel  to  blame  him. 
Now  you  get  back,  Electry.  Blitzen  ain't  a-goin' 
to  stand  everything.  Sometimes  it  does  seem 's  if 
you  had  the  most  cheek  of  any  critter  in  feathers. 
Well,  look  at  that  now !  "  for  Blitzen,  exasperated 
at  a  raid  upon  his  plate,  jumped  at  the  chicken, 
who  quick  as  thought  hopped  on  his  back,  and 
clung  to  her  perch  by  means  of  claw  and  wing 
while  the  terrier  raced  in  a  mad  circle. 

Aunt  Love's  hearty  laugh  rang  out  as  she 
watched  Blitzen's  fruitless  efforts  to  disembarrass 


DRESS  PARADE.  351 

himself.  At  last  he  lay  down  and  rolled  over,  and 
Electra,  squawking  excitedly,  ran  back  to  her  plate. 

She  was  not  pursued.  The  terrier  ever  after 
ward  regarded  her  as  something  uncanny,  and  so 
far  as  possible  refrained  from  acknowledging  her 
existence. 

An  event  of  general  interest  during  the  Fair 
summer  was  the  visit  to  the  Exposition  of  the  West 
Point  cadets.  Cro'  Nest  itself  is  scarcely  more  im 
movable  from  its  position  among  the  Highlands  of 
the  Hudson  than  these  pets  of  Uncle  Sam ;  but  it 
is  a  matter  of  history  that  they  and  their  para 
phernalia  were  transferred  to  the  Philadelphia 
Centennial,  and  now  again  with  much  form  and 
ceremony  their  camp  was  set  up  in  the  green  plain 
adjoining  the  Government  Building  on  the  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan.  They  arrived  one  dazzling 
afternoon,  which  began  serenely  calm,  but  toward 
evening  gave  the  guests  a  northeast  wind  which 
sent  white-capped  waves  rushing  landward,  and 
shook  the  tents  in  the  new  company-streets. 

Starting  from  the  Terminal  Station,  the  young 
soldiers  marched  through  the  streets  of  the  White 
City,  preceded  by  their  famous  band,  and  as  they 
proceeded  looked  neither  to  the  right  nor  the  left  at 
the  widely  noised  marvels  surrounding  them,  but 
kept  eyes  front  as  though  still  treading  their  own 
quiet,  elm-lined  avenues,  while  the  waiting  crowds 
cheered  and  cheered  again  the  elegant  precision  of 
their  movements. 

In   an  hour,  gray-coated   sentinels   were  again 


352  SWEET  CLOVER. 

walking  post  in  this  new  Camp  Sheridan,  alertly 
conscious  of  their  routine  business,  and  apparently 
without  a  thought  of  the  surroundings  beyond  the 
camp. 

Mildred  Bryant  felt  considerable  interest  in  the 
cadets,  and  assumed  much  more.  "  Helen  Eames 
says  that  no  matter  how  good  a  time  a  girl  may 
have,  she  can  never  have  as  good  a  one  as  if  she 
had  spent  a  summer  at  West  Point,"  she  an 
nounced  to  Van  Tassel  one  day,  on  the  occasion  of 
their  being  together.  She  felt  that  he  made  these 
occasions  rare,  and  at  times  the  fact  touched  her. 
At  others  she  said  to  herself,  "  He  is  getting  over 
it." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  go  there  ?  "  asked  Jack. 
"  I  don't  know  who  has  a  better  right  to  the  flowers 
of  life." 

"  I  did  think  of  getting  Clover  to  take  me  next 
summer,  but  now,  wonder  of  wonders,  the  mountain 
has  come  to  Mahomet.  Don't  you  want  to  go  down 
to  parade  to-night?" 

"  Yes ;  I  don't  know  just  how  to  make  you  com 
fortable,  though.  The  mob  is  something  marvel 
ous.  I  looked  over  their  heads  a  minute  last 
night,  but  being  in  the  sixth  or  seventh  row,  con 
cluded  the  game  was  n't  worth  the  candle." 

"  Ah,  that  is  where  the  convenience  conies  in  of 
having  a  military  friend,"  returned  Mildred  gayly. 
"  We  shall  not  need  to  mingle  with  the  hoi  polloi. 
Won't  you  come  too,  Clover  ?  "  as  her  sister  entered 
the  room. 


DRESS  PARADE.  353 

"Where?" 

"  To  see  dress  parade  this  evening." 

"  Yes,  I  am  going.  Mr.  Page  has  already 
asked  me." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  had  better  try  to  get  along 
without  me.  Jack  and  I  are  going  to  meet  Mr. 
Eames  on  the  steps  of  the  Army  Hospital  at  a 
quarter  before  six.  There  is  a  great  crowd." 

"  Thank  you.  Perhaps  we  will  be  there.  Did 
you  hear  Aunt  Love's  comment  last  night  ?  She 
said  that  in  the  afternoon  she  ran  into  an  impas 
sable  throng  near  the  Administration  Plaza,  and 
after  vainly  trying  a  long  time  to  get  through,  she 
finally  found  the  attraction  was  only  a  lot  of  school 
boys  drilling.  If  those  important  young  heroes 
could  have  heard  her  scornful  tone  !  " 

When  Clover  had  left  the  room,  Jack  spoke 
again.  "  Since  you  have  an  appointment  with 
Eames,  I  withdraw,  Mildred.  I  don't  see  why 
you  asked  me." 

"  He  said  I  might  bring  my  friends,"  she  replied. 
"  Do  come,  Jack." 

Van  Tassel  looked  straight  into  her  eyes,  and 
smiled  with  an  expression  which  seemed  to  the  girl 
both  brave  and  hopeless. 

"  Won't  you  ?  "  she  persisted. 

"  Of  course,"  he  answered. 

In  the  afternoon,  Clover  walked  to  the  Park,  and 
entering  back  of  Texas  walked  down  the  northern 
avenue  of  State  buildings.  The  usual  crowd  was 
flocking  in  and  out  of  Mount  Vernon,  but  she 


354  SWEET  CLOVER. 

crossed  the  street  to  New  Jersey's  charming  home, 
and  entered.  It  was  entertaining  a  large  number 
of  sightseers,  note-book  in  hand,  who  jotted  down 
their  inventories.  Clover  wished  she  might  look 
over  the  shoulder  of  one  woman,  with  a  harassed 
but  determined  countenance,  whom  she  met  in  the 
cosy  west  room  downstairs.  She  wondered  how 
this  anxious  one  would  be  able  to  transfer  to  paper 
the  charm  of  its  quiet  comfort,  with  the  breezy 
foliage  waving  near  its  half-closed  green  blinds 
and  casting  shadows  on  the  dainty  white  curtains. 

It  was  all  familiar  ground  to  Clover,  so  she  went 
upstairs  and  seated  herself  in  a  corner  of  the  deep, 
luxurious  sofa  which  commanded  a  view,  down 
through  the  open  gallery,  of  the  front  door. 

People  came,  looked,  commented,  passed  into 
the  dainty  blue  chintz  bedroom,  emerged  smiling, 
and  went  away. 

Many  had  appeared,  climbing  the  stairway  with 
various  degrees  of  toil,  before  the  figure  she  awaited 
came  into  view.  This  one  sprang  up  the  steps 
alertly,  with  a  serious  expression,  which  brightened 
to  pleasure  at  sight  of  her. 

"  Have  I  kept  you  waiting?  "  he  asked  eagerly. 
"  I  came  around  from  the  Cliff  Dwellers  by  the  In 
tramural  road,  and  we  had  a  stoppage  of  several 
minutes.  I  have  been  very  anxious." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  that,"  answered  Clover,  as  Page 
seated  himself  beside  her.  "  I  thought  you  knew 
that  I  am  always  content  in  this  house.  I  should 
move  down  here  and  live,  if  they  would  let  me.  I 


DRESS  PARADE.  355 

have  been  fancying  that  I  was  holding  a  reception 
as  the  visitors  came  and  went.  I  wonder  if  any 
pilgrim  to  the  Fair  has  a  soul  so  dead  as  not  to 
covet  this  house." 

"  I  did  n't  know  you  liked  it  so  much,"  said 
Gorham,  as  though  the  fact  were  of  serious  impor 
tance.  "Perhaps  you  would  enjoy  having  tea 
here." 

"  Tea  in  the  New  Jersey  Building  ?  What  a 
pleasure!  But  why  do  you  tantalize  me  ?  " 

"  I  think  we  can.  The  lady  manager  from  New 
Jersey  is  a  near  relative  of  mine.  Excuse  me  a 
minute  and  I  will  try  the  magic  of  her  name." 

Page  went  downstairs,  and  in  five  minutes  re 
turned. 

"  The  house  is  mine,  practically,"  he  declared, 
smiling.  "  I  herewith  present  it  to  you." 

"  How  delightful !     And  the  tea  ?  " 

"  Is  near  by."  Gorham  went  to  one  of  the 
locked  doors  on  the  east  side  of  the  hall  and 
knocked.  Presently  he  ushered  Clover  into  this 
exclusive  nook,  and  the  door  closed  behind  them. 

It  was  an  appetizing  little  supper  that  was 
shortly  set  before  them  on  the  daintily  clothed 
round  table. 

"  You  have  gratified  one  of  my  pet  ambitions," 
said  Clover.  "  Now  I  shall  always  feel  a  small 
proprietorship  as  well  as  a  great  affection  for  this 
house.  I  am  really  breaking  bread  at  its  board." 

"  You  spoil  your  friends  by  the  pleasure  you 
make  it  to  contribute  a  little  to  your  happiness," 


356  SWEET  CLOVER. 

returned  Gorham,  his  eyes  resting  upon  her  with 
the  utmost  satisfaction. 

"  This  room  is  as  charming  as  the  rest,"  re 
marked  Clover,  looking  about  at  its  ruddy  decora 
tions  ;  "  and  the  remoteness  one  feels  from  every 
thing  confusing,  or  noisy,  or  soiling,  can  only  be 
appreciated  by  those  who  do  not  live  in  the  midst 
of  a  large,  well-kept  park.  I  amused  myself  while 
waiting  for  you  by  searching  for  the  fewest  words 
that  will  describe  the  faces  of  Fair  visitors.  I  de 
cided  upon  '  tired '  and  '  pleased.'  Not  '  delighted ; ' 
they  are  too  weary  for  that,  —  but  just  'pleased.'  ' 

Page  looked  away  and  considered  the  idea,  as 
Clover  had  intended  he  should. 

"  Do  you  know  Mildred  gives  us  the  opportunity 
to  find  good  places  at  parade  under  Mr.  Eames' 
wing  ?  "  she  suggested  after  a  minute. 

"  Oh,  I  am  glad  to  hear  that.  I  don't  quite  un 
derstand  what  makes  the  cadets  such  a  fad.  No  ; 
one  can't  call  it  a  fad  either,  for  there  is  no  sudden 
interest  in  them,  they  are  always  lionized.  Since 
they  have  been  here,  I  notice  that  people  go  hours 
before  the  time  for  parade  for  the  sake  of  securing 
good  places,  and  then  wait  patiently ;  so  I  have 
been  wondering  this  afternoon  how  I  could  fix  it 
for  you  to  get  a  view  of  the  ceremonies.  It  will 
be  very  pleasant  to  have  Mr.  Eames'  assistance." 

"  Then  comes  in  that  awful  word  again,"  laughed 
Clover.  "  We  shall  have  to  hurry  a  little." 

Page  sighed  unconsciously.  "  Is  this  very  good 
tea?  "  he  asked,  as  they  finally  rose  from  the  table. 
"  I  am  not  a  connoisseur." 


DKESS  PARADE.  357 

"  Very  nice  indeed." 

"  I  thought  it  must  be.  I  never  enjoyed  any 
tea  so  much  in  my  life." 

"  Then  we  are  very  much  obliged  to  each  other, 
aren't  we?"  said  Clover  gayly,  and  consulting  her 
watch,  she  reminded  her  companion  again  of  the 
hour  of  the  appointment,  and  they  hastened  away. 

They  arrived  at  the  hospital  steps  just  as  the 
others  were  leaving. 

"  Oh,  you  loiterers,"  was  Mildred's  greeting. 

"Don't  you  see  our  breathless  condition?"  re 
turned  Clover.  "  How  can  you  have  the  heart  to 
reproach  us  ?  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Eames  ?  We 
are  very  grateful  to  you.  What  a  hopeless  throng 
that  looks  like  !  " 

"  Let  me  take  some  of  those  camp  chairs,"  said 
Gorham,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word. 

Mr.  Eames  led  his  party  towards  the  officers'  tents. 
They  had  to  force  their  way  through  serried  ranks 
of  gazers,  who  were  held  back  with  difficulty  by  the 
blue-coated  sentinels  from  the  camp  of  "  regulars  " 
near  by.  The  sentinel  saluted  Eames  as  he  passed, 
and  the  lieutenant  stood  still  and  allowed  his  friends 
to  file  before  him  to  the  reserved  places  before  the 
officers'  tents.  There  they  found  Helen  Eames, 
who  welcomed  them  radiantly,  fixing  cordial  eyes 
on  Jack  in  a  manner  not  lost  upon  Mildred.  The 
latter  did  not  enjoy  this  effusiveness.  She  did 
not  wish  to  marry  anybody,  but  at  the  same  time 
she  did  not  like  to  have  any  other  girl  try  to  ap 
propriate  her  especial  friends. 


358  SWEET  CLOVER. 

However,  her  attention  was  soon  momentarily 
distracted  by  the  novel  sights  before  her,  and  the 
usual  questions  began  to  flow. 

Eames  was  most  willing  to  answer  them.  Be 
fore  long  the  band  marched  out  upon  the  plain, 
and  the  evening's  ceremonies  had  begun.  The 
cadets,  a  shining  assembly,  marched  forth  from 
the  company-streets  and  fell  into  line. 

The  band,  playing  The  Thunderer,  marched  up 
and  down  the  plain  before  the  motionless  ranks, 
and  one  to  whom  the  West  Point  forms  were  fa 
miliar  asked  himself  if  it  must  not  all  be  a  dream. 
Here  were  the  same  camp,  the  same  cadets,  the 
same  band ;  but  where  were  the  mountains,  the 
huge  old  elms,  the  river  ?  —  instead,  the  Govern 
ment  Building,  the  Fisheries,  the  Battle-Ship,  and 
Lake  Michigan. 

To  Mildred  the  very  sight  of  the  band  was  not 
thrilling  from  all  it  implied,  but  she  soon  found 
herself  absorbed  in  interest  and  admiration. 

Once  she  turned  around  to  Jack,  who  stood  be 
hind  her. 

"  I  think  I  must  go  to  West  Point,  after  all." 

"  Indeed,  you  must.  It  is  perfectly  lovely,"  ex 
claimed  Miss  Eames.  "  There,  you  see,  that  is  the 
adjutant  now,  advancing  to  the  officer-in-charge  ;  " 
and  she  proceeded  volubly  to  explain  the  tactics 
which  followed. 

u  I  think  I  shall  have  to  know  some  cadets,"  re 
marked  Mildred,  turning  to  Eames. 

"  That  will  be  very  easy ;  and  when  you  know 


DRESS  PARADE.  359 

one,  you  will  know  all.  They  can  talk  only  on  one 
subject,"  was  the  rather  stiff  reply. 

Mildred  was  perfectly  aware  that  the  young  lieu 
tenant  admired  her.  She  saw  that  her  proposition 
was  displeasing  to  him  ;  but  what  she  did  not  know 
was  that  he  had  not  yet  recovered  from  that  pro 
found  fall  which  results  from  exchanging  the  chev 
rons  of  a  first-class  man  for  the  shoulder-straps  of 
a  second  lieutenant.  That  young  officer  must  in 
deed  have  a  seared  conscience  who  can  lay  his  hand 
on  his  heart  and  declare  that  he  entertains  only 
cordial  sentiments  for  a  cadet  of  the  first  class 
when  their  ways  chance  to  cross. 

"  You  refused  to  attend  the  cadet  ball  with  me 
at  the  New  York  Building  to-night,"  added  Eames 
reproachfully. 

"  Why,  of  course  ;  in  my  ignorance.  Was  n't  it 
stupid  of  me?  Oh,  what  are  they  running  for? 
Is  n't  that  pretty  ?  Would  n't  you  like  to  be  a 
cadet  again,  Mr.  Eames  ?  " 

"  Heaven  forbid ! "  ejaculated  that  officer  de 
voutly.  "  I  am  waked  up  by  reveille  yet.  Hope 
I  shall  get  over  it  some  time.',' 

"  Mildred  is  contracting  cadet  fever,  Mr.  Van  Tas 
sel,"  declared  Helen,  looking  up  at  Jack  in  a  way 
which  Miss  Bryant  noted  resentfully,  in  spite  of 
her  preoccupation. 

"  I  never  before  noticed  how  objectionable 
Helen's  ways  with  men  are,"  she  thought.  "I 
know  Jack  wishes  she  would  n't  look  at  him  like 
that." 


360  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  I  suppose  so,  Miss  Eames,"  replied  Van  Tassel. 
"I  am  trying  to  find  out  what  it  is  that  is  so 
fetching  about  those  all-conquering  youngsters." 

But  Jack  need  not  have  tried.  No  male  civilian 
under  forty  was  ever  known  to  discover. 

"What  is  cadet  fever?"  asked  Mildred,  "and 
what  is  the  microbe ;  a  bell-button  ?  I  have  n't  one 
yet." 

The  "  double-timing "  companies  had  retreated 
down  the  streets  of  camp,  and  the  cheering  crowds 
of  spectators  quieted.  Many  of  them  moved  toward 
the  lake  shore ;  for  in  a  short  time  it  had  been 
learned  that  the  cadets  would  next  march  to  sup 
per  preceded  by  the  drum  corps ;  and  any  ceremony 
which  they  performed,  no  matter  how  simple,  drew 
a  curious  throng. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  What  are  they  going  to 
do  now  ?  "  asked  Mildred. 

"  Going  to  the  Clambake  to  supper,"  replied 
Eames. 

"  Then  I  am  going  to  the  Clambake  to  supper," 
announced  Miss  Bryant. 

"  I  think  you  would  not  enjoy  it,"  said  Eames 
shortly. 

"  I  know  I  shall,"  responded  Mildred,  with  her 
glorious  smile. 

"  I  am  so  sorry  I  shall  have  to  leave  you,"  re 
marked  Helen.  "  I  have  a  number  of  friends 
among  the  first  class.  They  were  yearlings  when 
I  was  at  the  post.  I  have  promised  to  attend  the 
festivities  with  one  of  them  to-night.  Do  come 


DRESS  PARADE.  361 

and  see  me,  Mr.  Van  Tassel,"  holding  out  her 
hand.  "  Remember  you  owe  me  a  game  of  tennis. 
I  assure  you,  you  would  not  beat  all  the  time. 
Are  you  coming  with  me,  Fred  ?  " 

"  I  believe  not,  unless  you  want  me.  If  these 
people  are  determined  to  go  to  the  Clambake,  I 
think  I  shall  have  to  go  too  ;  but  remember,  you 
are  to  save  a  two-step  for  me  to-night." 

"  Au  revoir,  then ;  "  and  Miss  Eames,  her  last 
glance  for  Jack,  moved  away. 

"  We  won't  go  with  Mildred,"  said  Clover,  "  for 
we  have  had  tea  recently,  and  are  n't  hungry  yet. 
You  would  never  guess  where,  either.  Good-by, 
Mr.  Eames.  We  are  all  greatly  indebted  to  you." 

"  Indeed  we  are,"  said  Gorham,  shaking  hands 
cordially  with  the  lieutenant.  "  That  was  a  most 
interesting  sight.  I  congratulate  you  on  being 
one  fit  to  survive  that  tremendous  training. 
This  is  the  show  side,  but  I  know  something  of  the 
other." 

"  Where  did  you  have  tea ;  where  ?  "  demanded 
Mildred,  smiling  into  Gorham's  serious  face.  He 
instantly  smiled  back.  Those  cold,  abstracted 
eyes  of  Page's  had  learned  a  new  look  recently,  as 
though  so  much  sunshine  had  warmed  his  heart 
that  there  was  an  overflow. 

"  It  would  make  you  so  discontented  with  the 
Clambake,  dear,"  suggested  Clover  with  mischiev 
ous  deprecation. 

"  Why,  I  will  know." 

"  The  New  Jersey  house." 


362  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  You  selfish  creatures !  Are  n't  they  ?  "  ex 
claimed  Mildred,  calling  upon  Eames  and  Van 
Tassel  to  witness. 

"  Yes,  we  are,"  laughed  Gorhain,  as  he  and 
Clover  turned  away.  "  We  know  it." 

Mildred,  her  companions  on  either  side  of  her, 
began  her  walk  northward.  Eames  wished  cor 
dially  that  Jack  would  remember  an  engagement. 
Jack  wished  sincerely  that  he  knew  what  Mildred 
wanted  him  to  do.  Unconsciously  fulfilling  the 
lieutenant's  desire,  he  spoke  :  — 

"  I  suppose  I  really  ought  to  be  at  home  attend 
ing  to  some  correspondence  I  have  been  putting 
off,  instead  of  loitering  at  the  Clambake." 

Eames  answered  without  giving  Mildred  time 
to  speak.  "  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  take  Miss 
Bryant  home  after  her  curiosity  is  satisfied." 
Van  Tassel's  jealous  ears  detected  the  eagerness 
in  his  polite  tone. 

"  But  supposing  my  curiosity  is  not  gratified  by 
the  time  you  are  obliged  to  go  and  array  yourself 
gorgeously  for  the  evening  ?  No,  Jack,  I  am  sorry 
for  you,  but  Mr.  Eames  is  engaged  elsewhere." 

"  It  need  not  be  for  some  hours  yet,"  protested 
the  lieutenant. 

Mildred  shook  her  head  firmly.  "  I  could  n't 
think  of  allowing  you  to  assume  the  care  of  me 
in  addition  to  all  your  other  responsibilities  this 
evening." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Jack.  "  When  it  comes  to  a 
matter  of  letter-writing,  my  conscience  never  re 
quires  very  much  soothing." 


DRESS   PARADE.  363 

When  they  reached  the  Clambake,  two  cadets 
were  just  issuing  therefrom.  Their  hands  went 
up  in  an  instant  salute  to  Eames,  who  had  for  the 
moment  preceded  his  friends. 

"  I  suppose  there  is  a  great  deal  of  eating  and 
running  being  done  to-night,"  remarked  Jack. 

"But  where  are  they?"  asked  Mildred  ag- 
grievedly,  as  they  entered  the  busy,  noisy  eating- 
room. 

"The  cadets  mess  upstairs,"  returned  Eames, 
with  latent  satisfaction.  "  Did  you  suppose  they 
fell  in  here  with  the  general  company  ?  You  don't 
know  much  of  military  discipline,  Miss  Bryant." 

"  Never  mind  ;  if  they  are  going  to  run  up  and 
down  that  staircase  all  the  time,  as  they  are  doing 
now,  I  shall  see  a  great  deal  of  them." 

"  There  is  n't  much  order  to-night,"  remarked 
the  lieutenant.  "  The  cadets  own  the  Fair  for  the 
moment,  and  permits  have  been  issued  ad  libitum." 

But  supper  had  scarcely  been  brought  to  the 
three  friends  when,  with  a  grand  clatter  on  the 
bare  staircase,  the  remainder  of  the  corps  came 
hurrying  down,  walked  out  the  door,  and  quickly 
forming  in  ranks  marched  back  to  camp. 

"  Now,  does  that  pay  for  mingling  in  this  drove 
of  people  and  getting  half -served  ?  "  asked  Jack, 
with  disdain. 

"  Full}7,"  exclaimed  Miss  Bryant,  with  enthu 
siasm.  "  Without  those  absurd  straps  around 
their  faces,  one  can  see  what  beautiful  creatures 
they  are." 


364  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Well,  I  'm  glad,"  returned  Van  Tassel  shortly. 

"  I  am  resigned  to  your  interest  in  the  cadets," 
said  Eames,  "  if  it  brings  you  to  West  Point,  for 
I  am  likely  to  get  a  detail  there  next  year." 

Jack  took  no  part  in  the  animated  discussion 
that  followed. 

"  Don't  look  bored,  Jack,"  said  Mildred  at  last. 
"  Ask  Mr.  Eames  questions,  as  I  do." 

"  There  is  n't  any  need.  You  have  covered  the 
ground.  You  are  mistaken  about  my  being  bored. 
This  is  my  expression  when  I  am  absorbing  stimu 
lating  information." 

"  Then  he  should  abstain  from  stimulants. 
Don't  you  think  so,  Mr.  Eames  ?  " 

They  arose  from  the  table,  and  going  out  into 
the  arc-lighted  street,  walked  slowly  west. 

When  they  reached  Brazil,  Mildred  declared  her 
desire  to  go  into  the  building. 

"  I  suppose  I  ought  to  leave  you,"  said  Eames 
reluctantly,  "but  perhaps  if  you  remain  in  the 
grounds  I  may  meet  you  again." 

"  What  is  going  on?  "  asked  Van  Tassel. 

"  Several  things.  A  procession  of  illuminated 
boats  in  honor  of  the  cadets,  a  concert  by  the 
West  Point  band  outside  the  Michigan  house,  il 
lumination  of  all  the  State  buildings  and  dancing 
in  many  of  them,  but  notably  New  York,  all  for  the 
cadets.  You  will  be  likely  to  hear  enough  of  those 
young  men  and  see  enough  of  them  if  you  remain, 
Van  Tassel." 

"  Oh,  we  can't,"  smiled  Mildred  demurely,  as 


DRESS  PARADE.  365 

she  gave  her  hand  to  the  lieutenant.  "  We  have 
important  letters  to  write." 

The  "  we,"  even  in  jest,  was  music  to  Jack.  He 
turned  to  her  as  they  ascended  Brazil's  steps, 
"  Well,  are  you  ready  to  come  back  to  civil  life  ?  " 

"  Have  n't  I  been  civil  all  the  time  ?  And  you," 
reproachfully,  "  were  going  to  leave  me." 

"  Only  out  of  regard  to  Eames." 

"  I  think  you  might  have  more  regard  for  me 
than  for  him." 

"  I  have.     I  thought  you  knew  it." 

Mildred  did  not  answer.  They  had  reached 
the  large  salon  which  was  the  second  floor  of  Bra 
zil's  home,  and  from  thence  ascended  the  spiral 
iron  staircase  leading  to  the  roof.  Mounting  an 
other  short  flight  of  steps,  they  entered  one  of 
the  four  towers,  and  standing  between  its  white 
pillars  looked  down  on  the  enchanting  vision  of 
early  evening  in  the  White  City,  —  the  sum  of  ima 
ginable  loveliness. 

The  imposing  facades  of  its  palaces  were  now 
pure  but  not  dazzling ;  the  green  trees  and  flower 
ing  shrubs  of  Wooded  Island  were  hung  with  thou 
sands  of  fairy  lights;  the  long,  bridge-spanned 
canals  wound  away  into  distant  mysterious  vistas, 
where  tower  on  tower  still  rose  far  as  the  eye  could 
discern;  and,  queen  above  all,  stood  the  flamy 
curves  of  the  coronet  of  Administration. 

The  columns  of  the  Art  Palace  were  mirrored  in 
the  lagoon,  and  near  and  far  upon  the  water's 
breast  lay  little  boats,  gay  with  lights,  in  readiness 


366  SWEET  CLOVER. 

for  the  procession  soon  to  take  place ;  their  chains 
of  colored  globes  faithfully  reflected  in  the  depths 
below. 

Distant  bells  were  chiming;  from  one  of  the 
boats  the  tinkling  melody  of  a  mandolin  floated  up 
to  the  watchers  in  the  lofty  tower ;  all  else  was  still, 
as  though  the  peerless  scene  were  indeed  something 
supernatural,  evoked  for  a  moment's  breathless  rap 
ture,  and  fated  to  disappear  forever. 

Neither  Mildred  nor  her  companion  spoke  for  a 
time. 

"  Once  you  gave  me  your  hand  when  we  lived 
such  an  experience  as  this  together,"  said  Jack  at 
last,  withdrawing  his  gaze  and  looking  at  Mildred 
in  the  twilight. 

She  hesitated,  then  extended  her  hand  frankly. 
"  So  I  will  again,"  she  answered,  with  an  effort  at 
her  old  air  of  good-comradeship.  "  I  am  a  great 
believer  in  handshaking." 

Van  Tassel  only  looked  at  her  without  accept 
ing  the  favor,  and  shook  his  head  slowly.  "  No," 
he  said,  as  though  to  himself,  "  I  cannot  be  sat 
isfied  with  it." 

Mildred  blushed  as  her  hand  dropped.  "  You 
said,"  she  returned  low  and  swiftly,  "that  every 
thing  should  be  as  it  was  before." 

"Yes,  I  did,  because  I  was  inexperienced.  I 
have  never  been  in  love  with  any  one  else,  and  I 
did  n't  know  how  it  was  going  to  be.  I  have  be 
come  better  acquainted  with  myself  since  that  night 
and  can  speak  with  more  intelligence.  I  find  my- 


DRESS  PARADE.  367 

self  hoping,  even  though  I  say  over  every  day 
that  there  cannot  be  the  slightest  hope  for  me, 
because  you  know  me  well,  and  by  this  time  the 
truth  would  be  evident  to  you.  If  it  were  in  my 
favor  you  would  tell  me,  would  n't  you  ?  " 

The  girl  gave  him  one  fearful  glance,  and 
looked  away. 

"  You  would,  of  course  ?  "  he  said,  with  sudden 
excitement,  seizing  the  hand  he  had  refused. 
"  Mildred,  I  love  you !  I  love  you  !  I  do  not  say 
it  to  you  every  hour,  but  I  think  it  with  every 
breath.  You  would  not  make  me  wait  one  mo 
ment  if  "  — 

"  Oh,  how  can  you,  Jack  ?  Why  must  you  love 
a  girl  so  unworthy  ?  "  She  shrank  closer  to  the 
railing.  "  I  told  you,  —  I  tried  to  warn  you,  —  I 
told  you  that  I  do  not  love  anybody  but  Mildred 
Bryant." 

Before  she  ceased  speaking,  Van  Tassel  had  re 
leased  her  and  recovered  himself. 

"  And  the  Peristyle,"  he  added  steadily,  "  you 
are  forgetting  that." 

She  did  not  smile,  and  her  lips  quivered. 

"  So  long  as  my  only  rivals  are  your  sweet  self 
and  the  Indians,  Helmsmen,  et.  al.,  who  view  the 
country  from  the  top  of  the  Peristyle,  I  cannot 
despair.  Perhaps  I  ought  to,  dear,  but  I  can't." 

Mildred  wondered  if  her  companion  were  really 
so  pale  as  the  shadows  made  him  appear. 

"  Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast,  and 
I  am  going  to  hope  until  you  announce  your  en- 


368  SWEET  CLOVER. 

gagement  to  me.  Then,  until  I  receive  your  wed 
ding  cards,  I  shall  look  to  see  you  find  that  engage 
ment  a  mistake.  And  if  you  are  married,"  Jack 
paused;  "I  don't  know.  My  mind  turns  blank 
when  it  occurs  to  me  that  you  might  marry  an 
other  man." 

"  I  am  not  worth  it.  I  am  not  worth  it,"  repeated 
the  girl. 

"  Have  I  made  you  unhappy  ?  Shall  I  go  away  ? 
Will  my  presence  be  a  burden  to  you  now?  " 

"  No."  Mildred  looked  at  him  piteously.  "  I 
think  I  have  a  stone  in  here  instead  of  a  heart," 
she  said,  pressing  her  side,  "  but  stay  with  me  and 
—  and  keep  the  others  away.  I  don't  need  to  tell 
you  how  much  I  like  you,  Jack.  If  only  it  were 
safe  to  say  what  you  want  me  to  when  I  only  like 
you,  and  value  you,  and  respect  you  more  than 
any  other  man  "  She  paused,  unable  to  pro 
ceed. 

He  turned  to  her,  tender  consideration  in  his 
tone. 

"  That  is  a  great  deal,  Mildred.  I  must  try  not 
to  forfeit  it." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

IN    THE    PERISTYLE. 

THE  next  morning,  before  seven  o'clock,  Miss 
Berry,  while  busy  arranging  matters  in  the  dining- 
room  preparatory  to  breakfast,  was  summoned  by 
a  maid  to  the  back  door  with  the  word  that  a  gen 
tleman  wished  to  see  her. 

To  her  great  surprise,  it  was  Gorham  Page  who 
stood  waiting  on  the  path. 

"  Well,  well,  Mr.  Gorham,  ain't  the  days  long 
enough  for  you  ?  "  she  asked,  smiling,  as  she  came 
out  of  the  door.  "  This  is  new  manners  for  you. 
Go  'way,  Blitzen.  Look  out,  Mr.  Gorham,  his 
paws  must  be  wet." 

"  I  did  n't  want  to  disturb  the  house  by  ringing 
the  bell,"  explained  Page,  "  and  I  knew  you  would 
be  likely  to  be  about  by  this  time.  A  very  unfor 
tunate  thing  has  occurred  ;  "  he  looked  annoyed  as 
he  spoke.  "  I  have  received  a  sudden  call  to  St. 
Louis  by  a  client  I  cannot  neglect,  and  the  busi 
ness  requires  that  I  should  spend  the  whole  day  in 
town  before  I  go.  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  has  promised 
to  go  down  to  the  Fair  with  me  this  morning  on 
the  Whaleback.  I  want  you  to  explain  to  her  how 
seriously  I  regret  breaking  the  engagement.  I  am 
really  very  much  put  out  by  the  necessity." 


370  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Miss  Lovina  smiled  as  she  broke  a  twig  from 
the  maple  under  which  they  were  standing. 
"  Ain't  you  comin'  back  at  all  ?  "  she  asked. 

"Why,  certainly  I  am  coming  back,"  replied 
the  other  severely. 

"  Oh,"  remarked  Miss  Berry  innocently.  "I 
thought  perhaps  you  wanted  me  to  say  good-by 
to  'em  for  you." 

"  No,  indeed  ;  nothing  of  that  kind.  I  may  be 
detained  a  week  or  ten  days,  but  I  wanted  Mrs. 
Van  Tassel  to  understand  that  no  trivial  circum 
stance  would  deter  me  from  taking  the  boat  trip 
with  her  and  Miss  Bryant  as  we  planned.  I  would 
—  I  would  give  a  great  deal  not  to  be  obliged  to 
leave." 

"  Mrs.  Van  Tassel  won't  lay  it  up  against  you," 
remarked  Miss  Berry. 

"No,  I  dare  say  not,"  said  Page  abstractedly. 
"  I  must  n't  wait,"  he  exclaimed,  after  a  moment's 
reverie.  "  Tell  her,  Aunt  Love,  how  sorry  I  am  ; 
put  it  strong.  I  thought  I  would  see  you  instead 
of  leaving  a  note,  for  writing  is  so  formal;  and  oh, 
by  the  way,  tell  her  if  she  forgives  me  and  under 
stands  the  situation,  how  glad  it  would  make  me 
to  receive  a  word  from  her  to  that  effect.  This  is 
my  address,"  thrusting  a  card  into  Miss  Berry's 
hand. 

"  What 's  the  use  ?  "  asked  Miss  Lovina,  her 
shoulders  shaking  in  a  laugh.  "  You  know  you  're 
always  forgettin'  girls.  If  you  should  get  a  letter 
signed  Mrs.  Van  Tassel,  you  'd  scratch  your  head 


IN  THE  PERISTYLE.  371 

and  say  '  Van  Tassel  ?  Van  Tassel  ?  Where  have 
I  heard  that  name  before  ?  ' 

"  This  is  no  time  to  joke,"  he  returned  hur 
riedly.  "  I  trust  you  to  deliver  my  messages 
faithfully.  Don't  make  light  of  the  matter. 
Good-by;"  and  with  a  hasty  bow  Page  moved 
briskly  away. 

Miss  Berry  looked  after  his  departing  figure 
with  some  exasperation. 

"  I  hope  I  do  him  an  injustice,"  she  murmured, 
"  but  it 's  my  opinion  he  has  n't  found  out  yet  that 
he  's  lovin'  a  woman  instead  o'  worshipin'  a  saint. 
I  don't  want  to  be  profane,  but  I  must  say  I  'm  re 
minded  of  Ann  Getchell's  brother.  He  used  to 
say  that  he  liked  a  fool,  but  a  darned  fool  he  never 
could  stand." 

Clover  and  Miss  Berry  sometimes  began  break 
fast  before  the  other  and  sleepier  members  of  the 
family  appeared  on  the  scene.  This  was  one  of 
the  mornings  ;  and  while  Clover  poured  the  coffee, 
Aunt  Love  embraced  her  opportunity. 

"  You  can't  guess  who 's  been  here  already," 
she  began. 

"  No  ;  tell  me.  Don't  make  me  guess.  The  day 
is  too  new." 

"  Now  you  look  just  fresh  and  bright  enough  to 
guess  anything."  Miss  Berry  gazed  affectionately 
at  her  as  she  spoke. 

"  I  saw  Mr.  Page  going  down  the  street,"  said 
Clover,  as  she  set  a  steaming  cup  on  the  waitress' 
tray.  "  Could  it  have  been  he  ?  " 


372  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  Yes  ;  but  you  'd  never  'a'  guessed  him,  would 
you  ?  He  come  over  to  get  me  to  tell  you  that  he  's 
called  away  on  important  business,  and  regrets 
very  much  breakin'  his  engagement  with  you  this 
mornin'  about  goin'  on  the  Christopher  Columbus." 

Clover's  transparent  skin  flushed,  but  she  looked 
coolly  into  her  informant's  eyes.  "  He  does  not 
see  us  again,  then  ?  " 

"Law  yes,  in  a  few  days  he  does  " 

"  Lena,"  said  Clover  to  the  maid,  "  please  tell 
Katie  to  keep  the  other  things  hot  for  a  while.  Miss 
Bryant  and  Mr.  Van  Tassel  are  both  a  little  late. 
I  will  ring  when  I  want  you." 

The  moment  the  door  had  closed  behind  the 
girl,  Clover's  face  changed.  "  Tell  me  all  about 
it,"  she  said. 

"  Ain't  it  a  pity  that  gump  can't  see  her  this 
minute  ?  "  thought  Aunt  Love.  "  Even  if  he  's  a 
darned  one,  I  guess  he  'd  get  a  glimmer  o'  sense." 

"  Why,  he  was  the  most  distressed  bein'  you  'd 
want  to  look  at,"  she  returned,  "just  'cause  he 
could  n't  stay  and  go  with  you  on  that  boat. 
You  'd  think  he  'd  never  seen  a  sign  o'  the  Fair,  — 
not  that  he  said  a  word  about  that,  he  was  all 
taken  up  with  the  disappointment  o'  not  goin'  with 
you."  Aunt  Love  was  determined  to  make  the 
most  of  Gorham's  behest  to  "  put  it  strong." 

Clover's  face  had  quieted,  and  she  was  occupied 
in  stirring  her  coffee. 

"  I  told  him  I  guessed  you  would  n't  be  overly 
hard  on  him,  and  he  told  me  to  ask  you,  pervided 


IN  THE  PERISTYLE.  373 

you  did  forgive  him,  to  write  and  tell  him  so  to 
this  address." 

Clover  looked  up  quickly  as  she  accepted  the 
card. 

"How  long  will  he  be  gone  ?  " 

"  A  week  or  ten  days,  I  think  he  said.  Law,  if 
I  've  forgotten  anything  he  told  me,  I  shall  need 
the  prayers  o'  the  con'regation.  Strange,"  con 
tinued  Miss  Berry  slyly,  "  that  I  have  n't  ever 
seen  anything  so  severe  about  you  that  Mr. 
Gorham  should  look  all  beside  himself  at  breakin' 
a  light,  triflin'  promise  to  you  through  no  fault 
oy  his." 

"  I  will  write  in  three  or  four  days,"  said  Clover 
musingly.  "  That  will  divide  the  time."  Then 
she  looked  up,  and  met  Aunt  Love's  eyes  fixed  on 
her  with  an  expression  that  made  her  glance  away. 

"  He  's  a  none-such,"  said  Miss  Berry.  "  I  guess 
you  better  let  him  off  easy,  Mrs.  Van  Tassel." 

44  Oh  yes,"  returned  Clover  with  some  confusion. 
"  I  will  ring  for  the  breakfast  now,  Aunt  Love. 
We  will  not  wait  any  longer." 

Gorham  Page  came  home  to  his  hotel  in  St. 
Louis  a  few  days  afterward,  tired  and  enervated 
by  the  excessive  heat,  and  requiring  to  remember 
all  his  philosophy  not  to  anathematize  the  fate 
which  had  snatched  him  from  the  feast  spread 
upon  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan.  A  little  later 
in  the  season,  during  the  Congress  of  Eeligions, 
the  gentle  Dharmapala  was  riding  upon  the  lagoon 
one  evening,  where  his  snowy  silken  robes  seemed 


374  SWEET  CLOVER. 

more  in  place  than  the  close-fitting  black  of  his 
companions.  Looking  about  him  in  the  waning 
light  where  all  was  melody,  harmony,  and  beauty, 
he  said  :  — 

"  All  the  joys  of  heaven  are  in  Chicago." 

This  sentiment  of  the  lovable  Singhalese  Page 
would  have  echoed,  had  the  anachronism  been  pos 
sible.  A  sort  of  chronic  yearning  and  dissatisfac 
tion  possessed  him,  and  the  heat  in  St.  Louis  being 
a  tangible  discomfort,  he  dwelt  to  himself  upon 
the  superior  vitality  in  the  air  of  the  lake  region, 
and  laid  his  discomfort  at  the  door  of  the  weather. 
It  was  his  custom,  as  soon  as  he  entered  the  hotel, 
to  inquire  for  letters  ;  and  to-day  he  received  one 
in  a  feminine  handwriting. 

The  clerk  noticed  the  expression  of  his  face  as 
the  missive  was  handed  him. 

"  That  fellow  can't  sing  '  The  letter  I  looked  for 
never  came,'  "  was  his  comment. 

Gorham's  sensations,  as  in  his  room  he  opened 
the  square  envelope  with  religious  care,  were  of  a 
chaotic  nature,  which  required  analysis.  He  even 
went  so  far  as  to  hold  the  folded  sheet  a  moment 
and  look  at  the  opposite  wall  with  an  effort  at 
introspection;  but  the  insistent  desire  to  possess 
himself  of  those  written  words  engulfed  all  other 
considerations. 

The  letter  was  gentle  and  friendly  like  the  writer 
herself.  It  compassionated  him  on  the  fact  which 
Chicago  papers  reported,  of  a  hot  wave  in  St.  Louis ; 
and  described  her  sight  of  a  great  Maharajah, 


IN  THE  PERISTYLE.  375 

the  nabob  then  visiting  the  Fair,  who,  resplendent 
in  cloth-of-gold  robes  and  pale  green  turban, 
passed  in  state  with  his  suite  about  the  grounds. 
Jack  had  surveyed  him,  and  with  democratic  auda 
city  dubbed  His  Highness  "  that  chocolate  duffer." 

The  little  letter  closed  with  these  words :  — 

"  I  am  alone  in  the  house ;  even  the  servants  are 
away.  It  is  rather  a  desolate  sensation ;  and  yet 
some  people  profess  to  feel  more  keenly  the  lone 
liness  of  being  in  a  crowd  of  strangers,  than  that 
of  being  entirely  by  themselves.  The  former  is 
your  sort  of  loneliness  at  present.  I  wonder  if  you 
dislike  it?  I  wonder  —  you  always  seem  so  suffi 
cient  unto  yourself,  so  much  more  a  man  of  intel 
lect  than  of  heart  —  I  wonder  if  you  ever  feel,  as 
I  do  more  and  more  strongly  every  day,  our  de 
pendence  on  each  other  ?  " 

There  was  nothing  more  save  the  conventional 
ending.  Page  scarcely  glanced  at  the  signature. 
Something  seemed  to  mount  to  his  head,  as  his  eyes 
dwelt  fascinated  upon  the  last  sentence  recorded. 
The  sweetness  of  his  instant  interpretation  of  it  so 
possessed  and  intoxicated  him  that  no  other  thought 
could  obtain  entrance.  All  the  processes  of  his 
system  seemed  arrested  for  one  overwhelming  mo 
ment,  then  the  pulses,  reacting,  sent  the  blood  boil 
ing  through  his  veins. 

Mechanically  he  rose,  and  going  to  the  bureau 
began  throwing  articles  of  clothing  into  an  open 
valise  near  by. 

Recollecting  himself,  and  duties  still  undone,  he 


376  SWEET  CLOVER. 

stopped  these  premature  preparations  and,  the  va 
lise  happening  to  be  the  object  under  his  vision, 
he  gave  it  the  most  prolonged  amorous  gaze  that  ever 
fell  to  the  lot  of  insensate  leather.  Then  catching 
up  the  letter  again,  he  read  it  over  and  over. 

That  evening  a  messenger  boy  ran  up  the  Van 
Tassel  steps,  and  five  minutes  afterward  Clover 
was  smiling  and  frowning  in  perplexity  over  a  tele 
gram  addressed  to  her. 

I  shall  come  back  at  the  first  possible  moment. 

GORHAM  PAGE. 

Aunt  Love  had  brought  her  the  message,  and 
she  in  her  mystification  read  it  aloud.  Something 
in  Miss  Berry's  glance,  as  she  met  her  eyes,  made 
her  color  rise  finely. 

"  You  need  not  speak  of  this  to  Mildred,"  she 
said  after  a  pause,  with  dignity.  "I  —  I  do  not 
quite  understand  it." 

"  I  don't  either,"  thought  Miss  Berry,  discreetly 
moving  away.  "  Either  he  's  even  more  kinds  of 
a  gump  than  I  thought,  or  else  he  's  come  to  his 
senses  with  a  crash.  I  always  knew  when  Gorham 
Page  did  start  out  to  love  a  woman  some  thin'  had 
got  to  break ;  and  it  ain't  goin'  to  be  his  heart  now, 
thank  the  Lord.  What  a  pair  they  will  make  ! 
My,  my!" 

Page  returned  on  the  second  day  toward  evening. 
He  hoped  fate  would  favor  him  by  sending  Mil 
dred  and  Jack  to  the  illumination,  that  night.  It 


IN  THE  PERISTYLE.  377 

did  not  occur  to  him  that  Clover  might  have  gone 
too  until  he  neared  the  house.  Then  the  thought 
brought  dismay.  He  had  schooled  himself  for 
days  to  work  and  conquer  among  dry-as-dust  de 
tails  of  his  profession.  Now,  it  seemed  impossible 
to  wait  a  matter  of  hours. 

There  was  no  one  on  the  piazza  when  he  ascended 
the  steps,  and  the  evening  being  fine  the  fact  ap 
peared  sinister.  Miss  Berry  answered  his  ring  at 
the  bell. 

"  Oh,  it 's  you,  is  it  ?  "  was  her  greeting.  "  Glad 
to  see  you  back,  Mr.  Gorham.  It  has  n't  seemed 
right  not  to  have  you  ruimin'  in  every  day." 

"It  is  good  to  be  here  again ;  but  I  am  afraid 
you  are  alone  to-night." 

"  Yes,  the  young  folks  are  down  to  the  Fair,  as 
usual."  Miss  Berry's  keen  eyes  saw  the  disappoint 
ment  in  the  earnest  face.  "  I  s'pose  like  as  not 
you  would  11 't  feel  like  goin'  down  any  way,  wore 
out  as  you  must  be  with  all  that  heat." 

"  I  would  go  gladly,  if  there  were  any  chance 
of  meeting  them;  but  the  people  you  want  to 
meet  are  the  ones  you  do  not  happen  upon  at  the 
Fair." 

Miss  Lovina  looked  at  him  with  a  shrewd  smile. 
"  Then  I  guess  you  '11  give  me  a  good  mark  for 
once ;  for  it  happened  to  come  over  me  that  you 
might  get  home  to-night,  and  I  said  as  much  to 
Miss  Mildred.  I  asked  her  where  they  'd  be,  and 
she  agreed  to  stay  by  one  o'  the  big  horses  till  the 
illumination  was  over.  " 


378  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  What  time  is  it  ? "  asked  Page  with  sudden 
haste,  wringing  Miss  Lovina's  hand  cordially. 

"  Oh,  you  've  got  time,  I  guess,"  observed  Aunt 
Love,  with  a  comfortable  chuckle.  "  Now  have  n't 
I  got  a  head  for  somethin'  more  'n  cookies,  Mr. 
Gorham  ?  " 

"  If  I  should  stop  to  compliment  you  as  you 
deserve,  I  should  miss  the  appointment,"  was  the 
hearty  response,  as  the  young  man  lifted  his  hat 
and  hurried  down  the  steps. 

The  boy  in  the  driver's  seat  of  the  Beach  wagon 
just  passing  did  not  bear  even  a  faint  resemblance 
to  any  conventional  idea  of  Cupid  ;  yet  surely  no 
power  less  than  that  of  the  little  god  could  have 
sent  that  conveyance  exactly  at  the  moment  it  was 
needed.  Page  felicitated  himself  on  the  occur 
rence  ;  and  in  the  whole  history  of  the  Fair  it  is 
doubtful  whether  better  time  was  made  by  a  pedes 
trian  than  his  record  to-night  between  the  Sixtieth 
Street  entrance  and  the  Court  of  Honor. 

But  for  all  his  haste,  when  he  reached  the  giant 
horses  his  friends  were  not  there.  He  rushed 
from  one  to  the  other  with  frantic  energy,  but 
in  vain.  No  familiar  face  and  form  rewarded  his 
search. 

The  Grand  Court  was  lighted.  The  first  playing 
of  the  electric  fountains  was  over;  perhaps  had 
been  over  for  some  time.  Page  was  too  dispirited 
to  look  at  his  watch.  For  him  the  surround 
ings  were  stale,  flat,  and  unprofitable,  —  another 
proof  that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  a  con- 


IN  THE  PERISTYLE.  379 

dition  rather  than  a  place.  He  was  just  about  mov 
ing  away  with  a  sense  of  disappointment  which 
he  condemned  as  unreasonably  keen,  when  there 
loomed  up  before  him  a  vision  more  beautiful  to 
his  eyes  than  the  most  lovely  sculptured  angel  in 
the  neighborhood. 

"  Well,  Jack,"  he  exclaimed,  taking  his  cousin's 
hand,  "  here  you  are !  I  was  just  looking  for  you." 

Van  Tassel  smiled  at  the  eager  reception. 

"  Thought  we  had  flown,  did  you  ?  So  we  have, 
a  little  way.  The  girls  are  sitting  over  yonder. 
Mildred  has  been  sending  me  on  periodical  scout 
ing  expeditions,  lest  you  might  come  down.  Glad 
to  see  you  back.  Business  go  all  right  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  'm  all  right,  thanks.  Did  n't  quite  get 
a  sunstroke." 

Van  Tassel  was  striding  along  to  keep  pace  with 
Gorham,  who  had  instantly  started  in  the  direction 
Jack  indicated.  The  latter  smiled,  and  did  not 
make  a  further  attempt  at  conversation  until  the 
settee  was  reached  where  Clover  and  Mildred  were 
waiting. 

"You  did  come,"  said  the  latter  pleasantly. 
"  We  thought  you  might  hunt  for  us." 

"It  was  so  kind  of  you,"  exclaimed  Page  grate 
fully,  as  he  greeted  them  both.  "  Now  I  can  draw 
a  long  breath." 

The  four  exchanged  a  few  commonplaces  con 
cerning  his  trip,  and  then  Mildred  changed  the 
subject. 

"  We  have  cards  for  a  reception  at  the  Woman's 


380  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Building  to-night,  and  we  have  been  in  a  dozen 
minds  about  going :  but  I  think  it  would  be  pleas 
ant  to  look  in." 

Gorham  glanced  tentatively  at  Clover.  He  had 
not  been  gazing  at  her  this  evening  as  was  his 
wont,  and  Mildred  observed  the  change.  "  It 
would  be  pleasant,"  he  said,  without  enthusiasm. 
"  Don't  let  me  detain  you,  of  course.  I  have  n't 
been  here  for  what  seems  to  me  a  very  long  time, 
and  I  don't  feel  inclined  to  go  indoors.  Do  you 
especially  wish  to  attend  the  reception,  Mrs.  Van 
Tassel?" 

"No  — in  fact"  - 

Mildred  spoke  quickly,  for  she  felt  her  quiet  sis 
ter's  embarrassment.  "  The  truth  may  as  well  be 
told,  Mr.  Page.  Just  previous  to  your  appearance 
she  had  flatly  refused  even  to  approach  the  Wo 
man's  Building  ;  so  she  cannot  put  on  airs  about 
relinquishing  a  pleasure." 

"Then  we  might  divide,"  suggested  Page,  with 
so  much  alacrity  that  Mildred  smiled ;  but  the 
smile  was  fleeting.  She  had  risen,  and  was  stand 
ing  behind  her  sister.  Now  she  placed  a  hand  on 
her  shoulder. 

"  Oh,  my  friends,  look !  "  she  cried  suddenly, 
lifting  her  hand  toward  the  east.  The  moon  was 
rising  behind  the  Peristyle.  Deep  in  the  soft  sky 
it  shone  between  the  lofty  white  columns  and  cast 
a  silver  sheen  across  the  summer  lake. 

"This  is  Greece,  and  that  is  the  Mediterra 
nean  ! "  exclaimed  Jack. 


IN   THE  PERISTYLE.  381 

Mildred,  after  a  moment  of  gazing,  stooped  and 
dropped  a  light  kiss  on  her  sister's  cheek. 

"  Good-by,  Clover."  Then,  with  a  loving  press 
ure  of  the  other's  shoulder,  she  added  in  a  jealous 
whisper :  "  My  Clover." 

As  the  other  two  moved  away,  Clover  and  Gor- 
ham  rose  simultaneously.  "  I  believe  we  had  the 
same  thought,"  he  said,  looking  at  her  with  happy 
eyes. 

"  Mine  was  to  go  to  the  Peristyle,"  she  answered. 

"And  mine." 

She  took  his  offered  arm ;  they  started  down  the 
half -deserted  walk,  and  quickly  came  one  of  the 
magic  changes  of  the  place.  The  lights  vanished, 
and  the  colossal  moonlit  gateway  of  the  Peristyle 
gained  new  majesty. 

"  At  last  I  can  thank  you  for  your  letter,"  said 
Page. 

"  Were  you  glad  to  get  it  ?  I  am  afraid  it  was 
not  much  of  an  epistle." 

"  As  if  any  word  you  would  write  could  be  any 
thing  but  precious !  It  breathed  of  you  in  every 
line.  All  things  are  made  new  since  I  read  it. 
My  whole  life,  all  my  powers,  every  worthy  thing 
I  may  ever  attain,  are  yours.  Is  it  possible  that 
you  are  really  going  to  accept  them,  that  you  can 
care  for  me,  Clover  ?  " 

She  felt  his  strong  arm  tremble  under  her  hand, 
and  it  thrilled  her;  but  she  was  silent,  and  his 
impetuous  speech  rushed  on. 

"  I  have  had  to  hold  under  with  an  iron  will  all 


382  SWEET  CLOVEfi. 

my  thoughts,  the  contradictions,  the  hopes  and 
fears,  of  the  last  few  days.  Last  night  I  dreamed 
of  this.  We  were  walking  together  somewhere, 
and  the  moon  shone  on  the  water.  I  asked  you  to 
marry  me,  and  you  looked  at  me  pityingly  and  said 
--No.  I  reminded  you  of  your  letter,  but  still 
you  shook  your  head.  Clover !  " 

He  spoke  her  name  with  tender  appeal.  They 
drew  near  the  Peristyle  and,  stepping  within, 
walked  slowly  down  the  wondrous  vista  of  fluted 
columns  beneath  the  clusters  of  flower-like  lights. 

"  My  letter  ?  "  she  repeated  softly.  "  How  could 
you  value  that  trivial  little  letter  so  much  ?  What 
was  there  in  it?  I  do  not  even  remember." 

Page  stood  still,  to  look  in  amazement  into  her 
face ;  but  even  in  his  surprise  it  did  not  occur  to 
him  that  she  might  be  resorting  to  subterfuge. 

"  I  have  the  letter  here,"  he  said  simply,  thrust 
ing  his  hand  into  an  inside  pocket.  u  We  will 
see." 

Clover  crimsoned  to  her  throat.  She  did  not 
wish  to  see  the  letter.  She  suddenly  feared  it. 
What  trick  had  been  played  upon  her?  Could 
Mildred  —  Oh,  impossible  ! 

Gorham  unfolded  the  sheet  before  her  reluctant 
gaze.  Then  with  sudden  haste  she  took  it  from 
him,  opened  it,  and  read  the  closing  lines.  Her 
breath  came  freer. 

"Oh  yes,"  she  said,  smiling  in  her  relief .  "I 
wrote  that." 

Gorham  unconsciously  received  the  paper  into 


IN  THE  PERISTYLE.  383 

his  hand.  He  was  scrutinizing  her  face.  <c  What 
did  you  mean  by  those  words  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Why,  nothing,"  she  answered,  surprised  and 
affected  by  his  agitation,  —  "  nothing  except  what 
I  said.  Let  me  read  it." 

"  Those  last  words,"  said  Page  briefly,  indicat 
ing  them. 

Clover  read  obediently  aloud. 

"I  wonder  —  you  always  seem  so  sufficient  unto 
yourself,  so  much  more  a  man  of  intellect  than  of 
heart  —  I  wonder  if  you  ever  feel,  as  I  do  more 
and  more  strongly  every  day,  our  —  dependence." 
The  voice  gradually  lowered,  then  paused ;  Clover 
cast  one  beseeching,  troubled  glance  up  into  her 
companion's  face.  It  was  as  pale  as  hers  was 
glowing. 

"  We  always  have  been  so  impersonal.  Of 
course  I  meant  people  in  general,"  she  finished, 
low  and  quickly. 

Page  gave  her  a  sad  smile.  "  We  have  theorized 
and  speculated  together  a  great  deal,  I  know.  So 
this  was  only  one  more  speculation,  was  it?  " 

"  Why,  Mr.  Page  ! "  said  Clover,  scarcely  above 
the  breath  that  was  failing  her.  "  How  could  you 
think  "- 

"  I  don't  know  now,  myself,"  he  answered  with 
simplicity.  "  I  suppose  I  was  so  suffused  with  love 
of  you  that  this  one  hint  at  reciprocation  set  my 
head  aflame,  and  brought  on  an  attack  of  emotional 
insanity.  I  ask  your  pardon  ;  but  all  the  same, 
Clover,  I  am  not  ashamed,  and  I  cannot  regret  it. 


384  SWEET  CLOVER. 

It  was  my  good  angel  who  held  your  little  hand 
while  you  wrote  that,  for  it  gave  me  moments  of 
such  happiness  as  I  never  knew  before,  and  per 
haps  never  shall  again." 

Clover  wanted  to  speak  and  could  not.  She 
thought  if  he  would  move,  or  take  his  gaze  from 
her  face,  her  courage  might  rise.  She  lifted  her 
eyes,  but  only  far  enough  to  note  that  the  electric 
fountains  were  flinging  their  jets  of  color  aloft ; 
the  water  taking  new  shapes  each  moment  with  be 
wildering  grace  and  rapidity. 

"  I  never  thought  of  you  before  as  a  woman 
whom  it  would  be  right  for  a  man  to  ask  to  come 
down  beside  him ;  I  did  not  know  that  my  heart 
was  reaching  out  toward  yours  until  that  day  of 
the  letter.  Would  you  mind  telling  me,  Clover, 
how  long  you  have  known  that  I  loved  you  ?  " 

Clover  drew  a  long,  involuntary  breath.  "  I  did 
not  know  it,"  she  said  at  last,  looking  up  at  him 
bravely ;  and  when  once  her  eyes  were  held  in  that 
compelling  gaze,  she  did  not  wish  to  escape.  "  I 
only  —  hoped  it,"  she  finished. 

The  fountains  fell  and  vanished.  The  dainty 
flame-blossoms  in  the  remote  sculptured  nooks  over 
head  still  added  their  soft  radiance  to  that  of  the 
moon.  The  lovers  were  alone  in  that  colossal  aisle, 
that  pillared  temple,  where  for  one  transcendent 
moment  they  stood  heart  to  heart.  It  was  the 
period  of  shadow  in  the  Court.  At  the  other  end 
of  the  lagoon,  far  away  through  spaces  of  darkness, 
the  gemmed  dome  of  Administration  lifted  its 


IN  THE  PERISTYLE.  385 

cameos  and  starry  crown  against  the  heavens. 
From  the  distance  of  the  lighted  Peristyle  the  deep 
surrounding  shadows  gave  a  supernatural  effect  to 
this  single  lighted  edifice,  whose  triumphant  angels 
seemed  to  move  in  the  waving  illumination  thrown 
over  them  from  flaming  torches.  It  was  an  aerial 
castle,  with  no  affinity  for  earth  ;  an  exalting  vi 
sion  such  as  visited  the  prophets  of  old. 

"Earlier  in  the  evening,"  said  Page,  almost -too 
deeply  moved  to  speak,  "I  would  willingly  have 
turned  from  the  Court  of  Honor.  I  could  not  find 
you,  and  its  company  of  angels  was  incomplete. 
Now,  heaven  itself  lies  here.  I  ought  to  be  a  good 
man,  my  darling.  You  will  help  me.  It  is  a  debt 
I  shall  owe  for  ever  more." 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

THE    NEW    YEAK. 

THE  reception  at  the  Woman's  Bhilding  proved 
attractive.  It  was  late  when  Mildred  and  Jack 
returned  home  that  night.  All  was  still  about  the 
house.  They  parted  in  the  usual  friendly  fashion, 
which  both  sought  to  make  easy,  and  each  felt  to 
be  constrained. 

Mildred  went  quietly  to  her  sister's  door  and 
listened.  All  was  still.  "  Then  she  has  been  at 
home  some  time,"  thought  the  girl.  "  Good  ! 
That  speaks  volumes.  Poor  fellow,  I  'm  sorry  for 
him."  The  frou-frou  of  her  dress  as  she  turned 
away  almost  drowned  the  voice  that  spoke  her 
name.  Not  quite,  however.  She  turned  the  han 
dle  of  the  door. 

"  Did  you  call  me,  Clover  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  come  in." 

"  I  did  n't  mean  to  disturb  you." 

"  Oh,  I  can't  go  to  sleep.     I  don't  want  to." 

The  speaker  put  out  her  hand,  and  drew  Mildred 
down  on  the  side  of  the  bed.  The  latter's  eyes 
widened  in  their  effort  to  penetrate  the  darkness. 

"  Something  did  happen,  then  ?  " 

"Yes,  it  is  all  right,"  answered  Clover,  and  her 
soft,  glad  tone  pierced  to  her  sister's  heart. 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  t387 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  " 

"  He  does  love  me  !  "  What  a  different  voice 
was  this  from  the  one  in  which  she  had  said  the 
same  words  to  Jack  Van  Tassel  five  years  ago ! 

"  Of  course ;  but,  Clover,  surely  you  don't  love 
him !  "  exclaimed  the  other,  aghast. 

For  answer,  Clover  took  the  hand  she  held  and 
pressed  it  against  her  breast.  "  With  every  throb," 
she  said  slowly. 

Mildred  stared,  then  threw  herself  face  down  011 
the  pillow  and  wept  with  abandon. 

"  Dearest,  please  don't,"  exclaimed  Clover, 
shocked. 

"  I  must,"  sobbed  the  other.  "Oh,  why  did  we 
ever  see  him !  You  are  all  I  have  in  the  world. 
I  hate  anybody  who  takes  you  away  from  me." 

"  Nobody  can,  dear.  You  know  that,"  returned 
Clover,  distressed  by  this  rare  flood.  She  slipped 
her  arm  around  the  recumbent  form,  and  inter 
spersed  her  words  with  loving  pats.  "  I  am  so 
disappointed,  Milly.  I  thought  you  would  be  as 
happy  as  I  am." 

"I  am  never  as  happy  as  you  are,"  answered 
the  other.  "  I  know  this  is  abominable,  but  I  've 
got  to  be  selfish  this  once.  I  'm  just  envious  and 
miserable,  Clover.  Why  should  you  always  be 
blessing  people  and  I  never?  My  heart  is  heavy, 
and  it  hurts  me  all  the  time." 

In  an  instant  Clover  sank  her  joy  in  loving 
compassion.  It  was  the  first  admission  concern 
ing  Jack  that  Mildred  had  ever  made. 


388  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  My  poor  darling,  I  am  so  sorry,"  she  said 
feelingly,  "and  I  do  not  see  that  you  have  done 
any  wrong.  Instead,  you  have  been  true  to  your 
self.  Anything  else  would  have  been  a  dreadful 
mistake." 

Mildred  was  so  surprised  that  she  stopped  cry 
ing  suddenly.  "Then  Jack  has  told  you?"  she 
said  without  lifting  her  face,  a  belated  sob  strug 
gling  in  her  throat. 

"  Yes.  Should  n't  you  prefer  to  have  him  go 
away  ?  " 

"  No,  not  unless  he  wishes  it.  I  would  rather 
he  stayed." 

"  Things  will  come  right  for  you,  dearest.  They 
always  do  when  one  is  trying  to  live  up  to  her 
standards,  and  to  do  the  best  she  knows  how. 
Perhaps  I  have  made  you  feel  that  even  I  thought 
you  ought  to  marry  him.  If  I  have,  please  for 
give  me  for  adding  to  the  cruelty  of  your  position. 
I  ought  to  have  known  that  you  would  be  glad,  too, 
if  it  could  have  been  Jack." 

Mildred  rose  to  a  sitting  position.  "  Let  us 
forgive  mutually,"  she  said,  wiping  her  eyes.  "  I 
am  mortally  ashamed  of  myself  for  bothering  you 
at  such  a  time.  Wait  till  to-morrow  morning  and 
see  me  redeem  my  character  by  my  treatment  of 
that  —  thief  !  "  She  stooped  and  kissed  her  sis 
ter  passionately.  "  Why  should  I  blame  him, 
when  I  know  that  I  would  not  look  at  any  woman 
but  you  if  I  were  a  man  ?  What  a  lot  of  trouble 
it  would  have  saved  me,  by  the  way !  " 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  389 

"I  don't  know,"  returned  the  other  with  a 
smile.  "You  see  I  should  have  been  forced  to 
refuse  you." 

"  That  is  just  like  saying  you  love  him  better 
than  me,"  with  quick  suspicion. 

"  No,  no ;  only  better  than  that  man  you  were 
going  to  be." 

"  Well,"  said  Mildred,  shrugging  her  shoulder 
in  a  characteristic  gesture,  "  I  rather  think  I 
should  enjoy  the  refreshing  change  of  being  re 
fused  once  or  twice.  As  for  you,  —  as  if  I  should 
mind  your  refusal !  I  should  simply  kidnap  you." 
She  stooped,  and  laid  her  cheek  against  Clover's 
once  more. 

Aunt  Love  was  a  happy  woman  next  day.  She 
was  quite  a  heroine  in  the  small  family  jubilation. 

"  All  my  life  I  shall  owe  you  twelve  added 
hours  of  happiness,"  Page  said  to  her,  when  she 
gave  him  a  rousing  kiss. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Gorliam,  you  know  I  always  was 
good  to  you,"  she  responded  radiantly,  and  con 
tented  herself  all  day  by  drawing  Mildred  off  into 
corners  to  discuss  this  and  that  detail  of  "  his  "  and 
"  her  "  behavior  during  the  past  weeks ;  "  trifles 
light  as  air,"  but  "  confirmation  strong  "  to  Aunt 
Love  of  a  good  time  coming,  and  which  she  dwelt 
upon  with  such  profound  delight  and  secrecy  that 
Mildred  had  not  the  heart  to  refuse  her  an 
audience  for  all  the  asides  she  chose  to  make. 

Gorham  Page  allowed  himself  a  brief  period  in 


390  SWEET  CLOVER, 

which  to  realize  his  happiness  before  returning  to 
Boston,  but  his  energies  now  turned  willingly 
toward  his  work  as  the  means  by  which  he  could 
soonest  carry  Clover  to  his  own  home  and  hers; 
and  before  he  left,  it  had  been  arranged  that  they 
should  be  married  the  following  spring. 

The  day  before  the  one  set  for  his  departure, 
Jack  came  out  to  Clover,  who  was  sitting  with 
some  fancy  work  on  the  piazza.  Page  was  at  the 
hotel,  writing  business  letters. 

"  Gorham  says  your  cigars  are  too  strong  to  be 
good  for  you,"  she  said,  looking  up  as  he  struck  a 
match. 

"Yes,  he  has  let  out  from  the  shoulder  lately," 
returned  Jack,  puffing  his  cigar  alight. 

"  Do  listen  to  him,  Jack,"  said  the  other  plead 
ingly.  "  Don't  injure  your  health." 

"What  is  my  health  good  for?"  asked  the 
young  fellow,  dropping  down  on  the  edge  of  the 
piazza,  upon  which  he  extended  one  leg,  while  he 
embraced  the  other  knee  as  he  leaned  against  a 
pillar. 

"Don't  talk  that  way,"  said  Clover.  Van  Tas 
sel  had  never  heard  her  use  so  acute  a  tone,  and  he 
was  surprised  on  looking  up  to  see  her  eyes  swim 
ming.  "It  is  wicked  when  one  has  friends  who 
love  him  as  yours  do  you." 

"  All  right,  Clover.     Thank  you.     I  am  listen 
ing  to  Gorham.     This  cigar  that  I  have  here  " 
he   removed   it   from  his    lips,    and    regarded    it 
through   contracted  lids  —  "  might   have    become 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  .391 

sauerkraut  by  a  little  different  process  of  hand 
ling."  He  smoked  a  minute  in  silence,  then  said : 
"  Mildred  has  gone  away,  has  n't  she  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  she  has  gone  to  spend  a  day  or  two  with 
Helen  Eames.  Helen  has  been  urging  her  all 
summer." 

"  I  think  I  '11  go  back  with  Gorham  to-morrow," 
added  Van  Tassel  briefly. 

"  Why,  Jack !  "  Clover  dropped  her  work  and 
gazed  at  him. 

"  Yes,  I  '11  go  back."  The  young  man  flipped 
the  ash  from  his  cigar  off  into  the  grass. 

"  Do  you  feel  that  you  have  seen  the  Fair?  " 

"Yes,  too  many  Fairs."  Jack  smiled  rather 
dolefully  as  he  glanced  up  toward  the  blue  eyes. 

"  I  can't  urge  you  to  stay,"  said  Clover  sadly. 

"Oh,  perhaps  I'll  come  back,"  remarked  the 
other  cheerfully,  "  when  I  get  my  second  wind,  as 
it  were.  The  first  supply  has  been  about  knocked 
out  of  me." 

"  You  don't  look  well." 

"  Oh  yes,  I  am  well  enough." 

"  You  have  behaved  like  an  angel,  Jack." 

He  laughed.  "  I  feel  a  little  like  one  of  those 
angels  on  the  side  of  the  Transportation  Build 
ing,  —  the  sort  you  can  pass  under  a  door  without 
touching  their  buttons,  you  know." 

"  Did  you  plan  to  go  without  saying  good-by  to 
Mildred?" 

uOh  no." 

"  I  'm  glad  of  that.     It  would  hurt  her." 


392  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  No.  I  will  run  up  to  the  Eameses  this  evening* 
and  kill  two  birds  with  one  stone.  I  ought  to  say 
good-by  to  Miss  Eames.  She  has  been  very  kind 
to  me.  That  is,"  looking  up  inquiringly,  "  if  you 
and  Gorham  can  spare  me  on  your  last  evening. 
How  is  that?" 

There  was  dew  again  in  the  violet  eyes.  "  It  does 
not  seem  right  for  me  to  be  happy  when  you  are 
not,  Jack,"  Clover  said,  unconsciously  clasping 
her  hands  together.  "  If  I  could  only  say  some 
thing  that  would  stay  with  you  as  a  comfort !  I 
am  afraid  to  seem  to  preach  when  my  own  lot  is 
what  it  is.  You  are  plucky  and  have  plenty  of 
self-control,  but  I  hope  you  will  not  try  to  lean 
only  on  your  own  strength.  We  can  all  have  faith 
that,  so  long  as  we  do  right,  the  outcome  will  be 
the  best  thing  for  us,  whatever  it  is." 

"  I  'm  not  kicking,"  said  Jack  quietly,  "  but  I 
am  going  away  because  I  believe  it  is  the  best 
thing  both  for  Mildred  and  me." 

"  Does  she  know  your  intention  ?  " 

"  No.  It  is  rather  sudden.  I  only  took  it  to 
day.  I  have  staid  here  long  enough  to  bring  things 
the  way  I  want  them  if  it  were  on  the  cards.  Now, 
I  will  do  the  next  best  thing." 

A  couple  of  days  afterward,  Mildred  returned 
from  her  visit.  She  came  breezily  into  the  room 
where  her  sister  was  sitting. 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you !  "  exclaimed  Clo 
ver,  starting  up  and  kissing  her. 

"  Let  us  look  at  you,"  said  Mildred,  holding  her 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  393 

off  and  scrutinizing  her  with  bright,  audacious 
eyes.  "No,  they  are  not  red,"  she  continued;  "  I 
thought  I  might  be  coming  home  to  a  Niobe." 

"  They  are  both  gone,"  said  Clover  plaintively. 

"  Yes."  Mildred  turned  away  to  a  mirror,  and 
began  removing  her  hat-pins.  "  I  have  been  kept 
so  busy  consoling  Helen  Eames  that  I  couldn't 
come  home  any  sooner  to  dry  your  tears." 

Her  sister  look  at  her  inquiringly.  Was  there 
any  bravado  in  this  disappointing  gayety  ?  Ap 
parently  not.  Mankind  loves  a  lover,  and  Clover, 
especially  loving  this  lover,  felt  tempted  to  resent 
ment  ;  but  might  it  not  be  that  Mildred  indeed 
felt  more  light-hearted  than  for  months  past? 
Why  should  she  be  blamed,  if  she  found  relief  in 
the  knowledge  that  her  home  was  free  from  a  pres 
ence  which  had  been  in  a  way  a  constant  reproach  ? 

"  I  wish  Jack  did  care  for  Helen  Eames,"  re 
turned  the  elder,  unconsciously  sighing. 

"  Yes  ;  would  n't  it  be  convenient  ?  " 

"  I  'm  glad  you  've  come  home,  Milly.  The 
house  has  seemed  so  empty." 

"  Oh,  but  what  lovely  flowers !  "  exclaimed  the 
latter,  espying  a  great  bowl  of  roses  in  a  shaded 
corner.  "  Why  did  n't  you  tell  me  ?  " 

"They  are  not  yours,  my  dear."  Clover  smiled 
at  her  work.  "  They  came  last  night." 

"  They  are  beautiful.  Did  brother  actually  re 
member  to  have  such  a  sweet  substitute  sent  you 
on  your  first  lonely  evening  ?  I  am  proud  of  him. 
What  else  interesting  has  happened  ?  " 


394  SWEET  CLOVER. 

"  Nothing,  I  think.  Gorham  received  a  charac 
teristic  letter  from  Robert  just  before  he  left.  He 
gave  it  to  me  to  keep,  with  one  that  came  from 
Hilda.  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  see  it? " 

"  Indeed,  I  would.  Nice,  jolly  Mr.  Page !  I 
wish  they  lived  next  door." 

Mildred  took  the  letter  Clover  handed  her. 
"  I  'm  going  to  read  it  aloud.  It  probably  says 
nice  things  about  you. 

"  DEAR  GORHAM,  —  So  you  have  won  that  sweet 
woman !  Blessings  on  you,  my  boy !  I  may  be 
partial,  but  I  believe  you  are  somewhere  near  good 
enough  for  her.  Truth  compels  me  to  state,  how 
ever,  that  your  gain  is  my  loss,  owing  to  the  over 
weening  satisfaction  it  is  to  Hilda.  In  an  evil 
moment,  I  underrated  her  prescience  when  she 
prophesied  this  happy  event,  and  the  consequence 
is  that  I  am  considering  living  at  the  club  until  the 
first  blush  of  her  triumph  passes  over.  It  flavors 
the  matutinal  oatmeal  and  the  after-dinner  coffee. 
I  cannot  indulge  in  a  short  nap  without  encounter 
ing  a  tall  nightmare  in  which  the  wife  of  my  bosom 
pops  out  from  unexpected  corners  and  ejaculates  c  I 
told  you  so.'  She  sits  opposite  me  now,  writing  a 
letter  to  go  with  this.  I  know  those  are  burning 
words  that  are  growing  with  such  swiftness.  I  can 
almost  hear  the  paper  hiss.  However,  I  am  just  as 
pleased  as  she  is.  Please  give  Clover  my  love,  — 
you  see  I  am  not  slow  to  use  my  privilege  in  nam 
ing  her,  —  and  tell  her  I  am  sure  the  world  will 
be  a  better  place  for  such  a  home  as  you  and  she 


THE  NEW   YEAR.  395 

will  make  in  it.    Indeed,  I  feel  more  than  I  can  say 
on  the  subject. 

"  With  kind  regards  to  all, 

"  Your  brother, 

"  EGBERT." 

With  the  early  autumn  came  the  Parliament  of 
Religions,  —  the  congress  which,  among  the  many 
that  preceded  and  followed  it,  proved,  to  the  general 
surprise,  to  be  the  one  of  greatest  interest  to  the 
public.  Miss  Berry  was  indefatigable  in  her  at 
tendance;  and  her  young  ladies  were  often  with 
her.  The  names  of  those  Orientals,  whose  words 
she  listened  to  as  to  music,  were  impracticable  to 
her ;  but  their  dark  faces  and  graceful  gestures 
were  fixed  in  her  mind  forever.  Aunt  Love  was 
one  of  thousands  whose  complacent  generalization 
of  "the  heathen "  received  a  blow. 

Clover  did  her  share  in  the  entertaining  of 
some  of  these  scholarly  delegates  from  the  far  East ; 
and  Mildred  found  a  totally  novel  sauce  piquante 
in  the  society  of  a  handsome  coffee-colored  Indian, 
who  wore  a  pink  silk  turban  and  mouse-colored 
robe,  and  talked  transcendental  philosophy  in  the 
purest  English  while  gazing  at  her  from  long,  beau 
tiful  eyes. 

Lieutenant  Eames  had  rejoined  his  regiment, 
whether  or  no  hiding  a  heart-wound,  Clover  did  not 
know.  Mildred  said  nothing.  October,  the  busi 
est,  gayest  month  of  the  Fair,  came  on.  Such  of 
society  as  had  hitherto  been  obdurate,  now  return- 


396  SWEET  CLOVER. 

ing  from  seashore  and  mountains,  made  one  united, 
belated  rush  for  the  widely  extolled  Exposition. 
The  climax  of  attendance  during  one  day  came  on 
October  9th,  Chicago's  own  celebration,  the  anni 
versary  of  the  great  fire,  when  more  than  seven  hun 
dred  and  fifty  thousand  persons  were  in  the  grounds. 
The  effect,  when  one  could  rise  to  a  slight  eminence 
and  look  down,  was  such  as  is  observed  in  a  trap  so 
full  of  flies  that  there  is  only  a  general  stir  and 
movement  among  the  mass ;  110  form  is  visible. 

The  day  was  faultless.  Not  a  cloud  flecked  the 
azure  against  which  shone  the  groups  of  the  Agri 
cultural  Building,  that  one  edifice  which  interposed 
no  roof  between  its  superb  statuesque  decorations 
and  the  revealing  blue  of  the  firmament.  The 
three  mammoth  fountains  at  the  end  of  the  Court 
of  Honor  played  in  dazzling  sunshine,  filling  the 
air  with  crystals. 

Clover  and  Mildred  were  present,  attended  by 
the  Pink  Turban,  splendid  in  his  unconsciousness 
of  being  regarded  on  all  sides  as  a  sort  of  embodied 
apotheosis  of  the  Midway. 

The  ceremonies  of  the  day  began  with  what  Clo 
ver's  chair-boy  naively  called  a  procession  of  "  the 
hussies,"  although  the  Chicago  Hussars  might 
have  taken  exception  to  the  term.  From  that 
moment  until  late  evening,  the  interest  was  not 
permitted  to  flag.  A  tightrope-walker  in  cavalier 
costume  ran  and  pirouetted  high  in  air  before  the 
Peristyle,  the  scarlet  and  gold  of  his  costume  show 
ing  jewel-like  against  the  pure  columns. 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  397 

A  large  chorus  sang  national  hymns.  The 
young  liberty-bell  pealed.  Hundreds  of  children 
in  fancy  costumes  marched  around  the  lagoons ;  but 
the  magnitude  of  the  crowd  defeated  its  own  en 
tertainment  by  the  fact  that  the  procession  of 
elaborately  prepared  floats  could  not  force  their 
way  through  the  avenues. 

It  was  all  very  wonderful,  but  greatest  of  all  was 
the  fabulous  splendor  of  the  night  display.  The 
Van  Tassel  party  viewed  it  from  the  roof  of  the 
New  York  Building.  Surely,  Chicago  had  earned 
the  right  to  celebrate  herself  by  bombardments  of 
colored  fire,  if  so  it  pleased  her,  and  she  did  so  this 
evening  on  a  scale  which  trebled  previous  efforts, 
and  made  the  heavens  as  luminous  as  on  that  night, 
twenty-two  years  ago,  when  she  was  the  victim 
instead  of  the  instigator  of  her  pyrotechnics. 

Once  more  the  city  meant  to  distinguish  the 
World's  Fair  by  novel  and  striking  accompani 
ments  to  its  intrinsic  grandeur.  It  was  intended 
that  its  close  should  be  attended  with  a  metaphor 
ical  flourish  of  trumpets ;  but  close  upon  this 
last  day,  shame  and  affliction  visited  Chicago  in 
the  murder  of  its  mayor,  and  all  festivities  were 
renounced.  The  last  hours  of  the  existence  of 
the  Dream  City  were  mournfully  quiet. 

"  A  bubble  is  always  most  beautiful  just  before 
it  vanishes,"  Mildred  said  to  Clover,  as  they  stood 
together  in  the  Court  of  Honor  on  that  afternoon, 
waiting  for  the  fateful  moment. 

"  It  never  looked  more  lovely,"  replied  Clover. 


398  SWEET   CLOVER. 

They  spoke  softly,  as  in  a  holy  place,  and  with  one 
accord  looked  up  at  the  infinite  message  in  carven 
letters,  the  significant  legacy  of  the  summer's  grand 
experience  :  — 

^  "  Ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free." 

A  strain  of  solemn  sweetness  sounded  through 
the  harmonies  that  poured  without  ceasing  from 
the  orchestra  in  a  neighboring  pavilion,  touching 
every  heart  in  that  waiting  throng. 

The  rays  of  the  low-hanging  sun  shot  for  one 
moment  past  the  side  of  the  Administration  Build 
ing,  gleamed  through  the  waters  of  the  fountain, 
and  traveled  a  swift  path  across  the  lagoon  to  il 
lume  for  an  instant  the  golden  Republic. 

"  It  is  the  swan-song !  "  exclaimed  Mildred. 

A  long,  sullen  roar  sounded  from  the  east.  It 
was  the  first  peal  of  the  salute  which  bade  the 
Dream  City  vanish.  The  sisters  clasped  hands,  as 
they  had  once  before  in  the  selfsame  spot.  The 
eyes  that  had  sought  each  other,  dark  with  excite 
ment  and  anticipation,  that  day,  now  saw  through 
mists  of  tears.  The  myriad  flags  they  had  seen 
unfurled  in  gladness  now  with  one  accord  slipped 
down  from  sight,  and  the  music  died  as  the  message 
from  the  cannon's  mouth  told  the  country  around 
that  all  was  over. 

Jack  had  been  with  them  on  the  opening  day. 
Mildred  could  recall  how  earnest  and  handsome  he 
looked,  standing  with  his  hat  off,  carried  away  by 
the  spirit  of  the  occasion.  A  great  wave  of  com- 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  399 

passion  swept  over  her  heart,  and  mingled  with  the 
yearning  and  sense  of  loss  in  the  air.  The  weather 
was  chill  now  and  cloudy.  She  was  glad  to  slip 
her  arm  through  Clover's  and  hurry  home. 

Soon  after  this,  Aunt  Love  returned  to  Pearfield. 
There  was  some  discussion  as  to  whether  she 
should  take  Blitzen ;  but  that  sagacious  animal,  as 
was  usual  when  anything  inimical  to  his  interests 
was  in  the  air,  seemed  fully  aware  of  her  doubts, 
lost  his  high  spirits,  haunted  her  like  a  silent  ghost, 
walked  when  she  walked,  sat  when  she  sat,  and 
whined  as  he  gazed  at  her,  until  the  persecuted 
woman  yielded  to  his  mute  entreaties.  Electra 
stayed,  and  remained  the  heroine  of  her  latticed 
inclosure,  —  an  additional  reason  for  Blitzen  to 
prefer  returning  to  his  native  heath. 

Aunt  Love's  farewell  was  by  no  means  a  sad 
one.  She  was  radiant  as  she  remarked  how  soon 
Clover  would  be  her  neighbor. 

"  And  in  that  way  we  '11  get  you,  too,"  she  said 
to  Mildred  ;  but  that  young  woman  demurred. 

"  Of  course  she  will  come,"  said  Clover. 

"I'm  not  sure,"  persisted  the  younger. 

"  Well  now,  my  dear,"  said  Miss  Berry  in  part 
ing  advice,  "  don't  you  wander  through  the  woods 
too  long  and  take  up  with  a  crooked  stick  at  last ; 
but,  whatever  you  do,  marry  a  man  o'  your  own 
color,  who  wears  a  hat  and  coat  instead  of  a  turban 
and  a  bath  wrapper.  Kemember  that." 

"  I  don't  know,"  responded  Mildred,  with  a  teas 
ing  smile.  "  The  Pink  Turban  says  he  has  a  pair 


400  SWEET  CLOVER. 

of  very  handsome  diamond  earrings.  Perhaps,  if 
I  should  have  my  ears  pierced,  he  would  let  me 
wear  them  a  part  of  the  time." 

"Go  'way !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Berry,  with  a  re- 
pudiatory  gesture. 

The  old  Scotch  housekeeper  soon  returned,  joy 
ful  to  be  back  again,  and  felicitating  herself  that 
the  Fair  was  safely  over ;  and  life  might  have  been 
supposed  to  move  on  as  before,  but  it  did  not. 

Clover  had  come  into  a  new  state  of  existence, 
the  deep,  constant  joy  of  which  she  never  expressed 
in  words.  Except  for  the  framed  photograph  on 
her  dressing-table,  Mildred  might  have  believed 
her  equable  sister  to  be  unchanged  in  thought  as 
well  as  habit ;  but  Mildred's  own  mode  of  life 
was  noticeably  changed  this  season.  The  winter 
was  a  hard  one.  Cold  weather  set  in  in  November, 
and  the  reaction  from  the  great  business  activity  of 
the  year  before  caused  a  depression  cruelly  felt 
among  the  poor.  Charitable  work  was  the  order 
of  the  day,  and  Mildred  entered  into  it  heart  and 
soul. 

"  Slumming  was  never  so  fashionable,"  she  said ; 
and  thus  lightly  accounting  for  the  new  direction 
of  her  energy,  she  learned  novel  views  of  life,  which 
would  modify  her  character  in  all  time  to  come. 
Clover  was  her  efficient  aid,  and  her  friend  Helen 
Eames  sometimes  went  on  these  expeditions  too, 
under  the  shadow  of  her  wing. 

It  was  rather  a  grievance  with  Helen  that  Mil 
dred  never  of  her  own  accord  referred  to  Jack,  and 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  401 

if  questioned,  made  brief  replies.  Mr.  Van  Tassel 
was  a  Chicago  man  and  belonged  here.  He  was, 
in  Helen's  own  phraseology,  "  perfectly  fascinat 
ing,"  and  not  to  be  lightly  dropped.  She  intended 
to  keep  herself  posted  as  to  the  probabilities  of  his 
return ;  but  Mildred  early  nipped  her  plans  in  the 
bud. 

"  We  can't  reckon  on  Mr.  Van  Tassel  as  a  Chi- 
cagoan  any  more,"  she  said.  "  He  is  reading  law 
very  earnestly  now  in  Boston,-  and  he  has  lived 
there  so  many  years,  it  is  home  to  him.  Besides 
that,  he  is  devoted  to  Clover,  and  when  she  is  mar 
ried  to  his  cousin,  that  will  be  another  tie  to 
keep  him  at  the  East." 

Upon  which  Miss  Eames  grew  thoughtful,  and 
fortune  shortly  after  throwing  in  her  way  an  in 
vitation  to  visit  a  friend  in  Boston,  she  inconti 
nently  dropped  her  pilgrimages  amid  Chicago's 
back  streets,  and  departed  on  the  most  limited 
train  available. 

Soon  afterward,  Mildred  received  a  gay  letter 
from  her.  Mr.  Van  Tassel  had  called,  and  had 
been  one  of  the  theatre  party  her  hostess  had  given 
the  night  before.  She  was  having  a  charming 
time,  and  hoped  dear  Mildred  would  not  take 
something  in  those  dreadful  basements  before  she 
could  return  to  help  her  again. 

"  Would  n't  it  be  strange,"  Clover  asked,  when 
her  sister  showed  her  the  letter,  "  if  little  Helen 
should  catch  Jack's  heart  on  the  rebound,  after 
all?" 


402  SWEET  CLOVER. 

Mildred  returned  her  look  with  unusual  gravity. 
"  Are  men's  hearts  so  unfaithful,  do  you  think  ?  " 
she  asked  seriously. 

"  Sometimes,"  answered  Clover,  "  when  they  de 
spair  ;  and  women's,  too." 

"  Then  they  are  unworthy,"  Mildred  said  quietly. 

No  winter  ever  suffered  more  than  this  by  con 
trast  with  the  summer.  In  public  print  and  by 
private  hearsay,  the  bitter  needs  of  the  poor  sur 
rounded  one.  The  corpse  of  the  White  City  lay 
wrapped  in  a  winding-sheet  of  snow.  The  sisters 
never  entered  the  grounds  from  the  afternoon  its 
spirit  departed.  They  looked  askance,  in  passing, 
at  the  buildings,  with  their  cold,  silent  surround 
ings,  where  so  recently  all  had  been  life  and 
warmth.  The  same  domes  and  fa$ades  upreared 
under  the  cold  sky.  One  could  only  say  as  he  does 
in  glancing  tenderly  and  sadly  at  a  dear,  dead 
face :  "  How  natural  it  looks  ! " 

Little  wonder  that  plans  were  innumerable  for 
preserving  a  portion  of  that  dream  of  beauty,  to  be 
resuscitated  and  to  become  the  joy  of  one  more 
summer ;  but  the  work  of  spoliation  had  begun, 
and  would  march  on  inexorably. 

"  Miss  Mildred  has  grown  awful  quiet,  Mrs.  Van 
Tassel,"  said  old  Jeanie  one  day  in  confidence. 
"  It 's  a  wrong  you  're  doing  her,  I  'm  thinking, 
letting  her  quench  all  her  bright  spirits  in  those 
holes  she  visits." 

"  I  think  not,  Jeanie,"  Clover  replied.  "  Miss 
Mildred  is  having  a  deep  experience ;  but  we  can't 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  403 

help  the  sorrow  in  the  world  except  by  coming 
close  to  it." 

"  I  saw  tears  in  her  eyes  the  other  night,"  whis 
pered  Jeanie  profoundly,  "  and  I  asked  the  poor 
child  why,  and  what  do  you  suppose  she  an 
swered  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  she  had  the  heartache  over  some  of 
our  new  friends." 

"Maybe;  but  if  she  did,  she  wouldn't  ac 
knowledge  it.  She  said  't  was  because  the  Chicago 
Beach  Hotel  was  closed  for  the  season,  and  there 
could  n't  be  any  dances  there !  " 

Clover  smiled.  "  That  sounds  as  if  her  spirits 
had  not  all  departed,"  she  remarked. 

But  she  had  been  quick  to  observe  the  alteration 
in  Mildred.  Sometimes  she  hoped  that  Jack's 
absence  had  wrought  the  fulfillment  of  his  desire, 
but  she  did  not  seek  to  probe  her  sister's  feeling. 
If  unseen  influences  were  expanding  the  entrance 
to  the  holy  of  holies  in  the  young  girl's  heart, 
what  right  had  she  to  interfere  ?  Sometimes  she 
feared  Mildred  was  depressed  by  the  prospect  of 
a  marriage  which  would  break  up  this  home. 
Whatever  the  cause,  the  fact  remained  that  her 
sister's  interest  in  society  had  waned,  and  the  part 
she  kept  up  in  it  was  perfunctory,  and  did  not 
extend  beyond  those  efforts  which  courtesy  de 
manded.  She  had  never  been  more  companion 
able  with  Clover,  however,  and  the  latter  had  never 
enjoyed  her  so  much. 

Thus  matters  stood   when   the   New  Year  was 


404  SWEET   CLOVER. 

ushered  in.  The  day  was  clear  and  bright,  and 
many  thousands  took  advantage  of  the  fact  that 
Jackson  Park  passed  back  to-day  into  the  public 
jurisdiction.  Curiosity  seekers  and  vandals  poured 
down  the  strangely  mute  Midway  Plaisance  and 
through  the  avenues  of  the  Park.  Clover  and 
Mildred  did  not  swell  the  number  who  gayly  paro 
died  "  After  the  Ball." 

And  now  was  to  come  the  long  pull  and  the 
strong  pull  of  winter.  Mildred  wondered  in  her 
own  mind  why  the  prospect  should  look  so  very 
dreary.  No  other  season  had  ever  seemed  like  it. 
Doubtless  it  was  her  new  and  close  acquaintance 
with  the  griefs  of  others  that  had  changed  the 
world,  and  made  life  a  novel  sort  of  struggle. 

The  new  year  was  less  than  a  week  old  when 
Clover  received  a  letter  from  Jack,  announcing  his 
intention  to  make  them  a  call. 

"  I  won't  give  any  excuses,"  he  wrote  ;  "  I  admit 
that  I  am  coming  simply  because  I  want  so  much 
to  see  Mildred  and  you  that  I  believe  I  shall  do 
better  work  after  indulging  in  that  pleasure." 

"  Loyal  as  ever,"  said  Clover,  looking  up,  and 
Mildred  did  not  raise  her  eyes  from  her  work,  but 
she  was  smiling. 

Jack  had  said  he  could  not  set  a  precise  time 
for  his  arrival,  but  that  in  a  few  days  they  might 
expect  him  to  drop  down. 

When  his  determination  had  been  taken,  Van 
Tassel  pushed  forward  his  preparations  with  all 
haste,  and  his  restlessness  did  not  quiet  until  he 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  405 

found  himself,  in  the  early  evening  of  the  8th  of 
January,  walking  down  the  old  familiar  home  street 
once  more.  As  he  reached  the  corner,  he  suddenly 
observed  that  clouds  of  smoke  mingled  with  large 
red  cinders  were  rolling  up  from  the  south. 

"  Must  be  a  fire  in  the  Fair  grounds,"  he 
thought.  "  I  wonder  if  the  girls  know." 

They  were  coming  out  of  their  door,  with  their 
outside  wraps  on,  when  Van  Tassel  came  up  the 
steps,  and  they  gave  him  a  greeting  in  which 
excitement  and  cordiality  mingled. 

"  There  is  a  fire  in  the  Fair,"  they  all  three  said 
at  once. 

"You  will  take  me  down  there,  Jack,"  exclaimed 
Mildred.  "  Clover  was  going,  but  she  has  n't  been 
well  and  she  ought  not  to." 

Clover  protested  faintly,  suggesting  some  of 
the  rites  of  hospitality  for  Jack's  benefit ;  but  he 
would  hear  nothing  save  carrying  out  Mildred's 
wishes,  and  after  taking  a  moment  to  deposit  his 
bag  in  the  hall,  he  set  off  beside  her. 

"  How  is  Gorham,  I  wonder  ?  "  murmured  Clover 
with  a  comical  little  smile  and  plaintive  raised 
eyebrows,  as  she  looked  after  the  figures  retreat 
ing  into  the  dark.  "  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  in 
a  whirlwind."  She  looked  toward  the  once  gay 
hotel ;  now,  its  many  sightless  eyes  gazed  blankly 
southward.  "  I  will  go  there,"  she  exclaimed  with 
sudden  determination  ;  and  reentering  the  house, 
she  called  Jeanie,  and  made  her  hurry  into  her 
wraps.  The  housekeeper  obeyed,  with  many  a 


406  SWEET  CLOVER. 

fussy  groan  over  her  mistress'  caprice,  and  -soon 
they  were  walking  northward. 

They  ascended  the  dark  stairway  to  the  piazza 
of  the  hotel,  and  peered  through  the  door  at  the 
office,  where  one  dim  light  showed.  Clover  was  a 
bit  frightened,  but  she  knocked  on  the  glass.  A 
man  appeared  behind  the  office  desk,  and,  picking 
up  the  lantern  which  was  the  vast  hotel's  single 
attempt  at  illumination,  advanced  through  dark 
spaces,  casting  strange  shadows  on  the  marble 
floor  as  he  came. 

"  May  we  look  at  the  fire  from  here  ? "  asked 
Clover,  wishing  Gorham  were  with  her  rather  than 
Jeanie. 

"Yes  ;  I  see  they've  got  a  fire  down  there,"  the 
man  remarked  imperturbably,  but  he  stood  back 
for  them  to  enter,  and  then  clanged  the  heavy  door 
behind  them.  It  echoed  in  the  big  empty  hall, 
and  Jeanie  looked  so  discomfited  that  Clover 
smiled,  though  she  herself  thought  the  situation 
rather  eerie. 

The  last  time  she  had  stood  here,  the  place  had 
been  ablaze  with  electric  light,  and  gay  with  music 
and  guests.  She  had  ascended  with  her  friends 
to  a  balcony  to  view  the  lighted  White  City  in 
the  zenith  of  its  beauty,  and  to  revel  in  the  fiery 
marvels  which  mirrored  themselves  in  the  lake. 
It  flashed  into  her  memory  how  enthusiastic  the 
crowds  had  been  over  the  rising  of  a  slender  cyl 
inder  of  light  which  poised  itself  aloft,  then  slowly 
unrolled  until  the  stars  and  stripes  appeared  in 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  407 

the  heavens.  She  could  hear  again  the  patriotic 
salutes  from  a  congregation  of  boats  as  Old  Glory 
sailed  away  across  the  lake. 

Now,  all  was  hushed  and  dark.  A  second  man, 
who  appeared  in  the  office,  struck  a  match  and  lit 
another  lantern,  by  whose  light  he  proceeded  to 
pilot  the  two  women  upstairs. 

Jeanie  muttered  and  grunted  to  such  an  extent 
that  Clover  relented  after  the  ascent  of  three 
flights,  and  the  old  man  led  her  to  the  window  of 
one  of  the  white-sheeted  bedrooms,  from  which  she 
eagerly  looked. 

"  Oh,  Jeanie,  I  am  sure  it  is  the  Peristyle  !  "  she 
exclaimed,  gazing  horror-struck  on  the  volume  of 
fire  and  smoke  visible  through  the  bare  ribs  of 
the  Spectatorium.  "  What  will  —  what  will  Mr. 
Page  say  !  "  Involuntarily  she  pressed  her  hand 
on  her  beating  heart,  seeming  to  hear  the  roar  of 
those  cruel  flames. 

Meanwhile  Mildred  and  Jack  had  caught  a 
train,  which  they  left  at  Sixtieth  Street.  The 
young  man  was  glad  that  the  tension  of  his  anti 
cipations  had  been  relieved  by  the  unconventional 
circumstances  of  his  welcome.  To  be  joined  with 
Mildred  in  the  present  excitement  was  far  prefer 
able  to  the  doubtful  home  evening  he  had  looked 
forward  to.  Arm  in  arm  they  pressed  forward 
against  the  cold  lake  wind  toward  the  shore,  and 
did  not  pause  until  they  had  neared  the  Music 
Hall. 

Only  once    Mildred  spoke  as  they  hurried  on. 


408  SWEET   CLOVER. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  she  said  breathlessly,  "  that  it  is 
the  Peristyle." 

"It  looks  like  it,"  said  Jack  briefly.  The 
hoofs  of  galloping  horses  smote  the  hard  ground, 
and  the  puffing  of  fire-engines  was  borne  to  their 
ears  before  they  reached  the  scene  of  confusion. 
There  they  stood  still,  Mildred  clinging  with  both 
hands  to  Van  Tassel's  arm,  her  wide,  horrified  eyes 
fixed  on  the  blazing  Casino,  the  building  into 
which  the  Peristyle  merged  at  the  southern  end,  as 
it  did  into  Music  Hall  on  the  north. 

The  lagoon  was  coated  with  a  thin  sheet  of  ice, 
across  which  the  sparks,  after  circling  around  the 
head  of  the  golden  goddess,  whirled  up  the  Court 
of  Honor  in  lines  of  fire. 

Above,  the  wind  bore  the  glowing  brands  swirl 
ing  over  the  great  neighboring  buildings.  Streams 
of  water  fell  with  no  quenching  power  into  the 
flames. 

"  Why  don't  they  bend  all  their  energies  to  sav 
ing  the  Peristyle?"  exclaimed  Mildred. 

"  That  is  what  they  are  doing  now.     See  ?  " 

The  dauntless  firemen  were  fighting  the  flames 
at  close  range.  A  dozen  streams  of  water  at  once 
were  directed  upon  the  Peristyle;  but  in  vain. 
The  walls  of  the  Casino  crashed  in ;  devouring 
tongues  of  fire  fastened  upon  the  first  noble  pillar 
and  ate  upward. 

Van  Tassel  felt  his  companion  shudder  in  her 
furs,  and  put  his  hand  on  hers.  The  crowd 
that  had  gathered  in  the  very  spot  where  they 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  409 

cheered  the  summer's  pyrotechnic  display  were 
strangely  motionless  and  silent,  watching  with  fas 
cinated  eyes  and  saddened  faces  as  the  fire  crept 
upward,  leaping  from  pillar  to  pillar,  ascending 
toward  the  statues  which  stood  serene  and  fair 
above  smoke  and  flame  long  after  the  watchers  ex 
pected  them  to  succumb.  At  last,  each  white  fig 
ure  in  turn,  seeming  suddenly  to  become  aware  of 
its  environment,  wavered  on  its  pedestal,  hesitated, 
and  with  one  shrinking  look  below,  plunged  down 
ward  into  the  fiery  chasm. 

"  Jack !  "  gasped  Mildred,  shivering  from  head 
to  foot,  her  dilated  eyes  never  leaving  the  heart 
rending  sight. 

For  an  instant,  free  of  smoke  and  illumined 
gloriously,  shone  out  for  a  last  time  the  heavenly 
promise :  — 

"  Ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free." 

"  The  Quadriga !  "  groaned  Van  Tassel,  for  the 
grand  arch  was  seized  upon,  and  swiftly  melted 
away  in  the  furnace.  No  search-light  of  the  sum 
mer  ever  compared  in  grandeur  with  the  effect  that 
succeeded  to  the  crumbling  of  the  staff  below  the 
famous  group,  the  pride  of  the  noble  Peristyle. 
The  iron  skeleton  supports,  laid  bare,  were  invisi 
ble  in  the  night.  Columbus,  his  chariot,  the  out 
riders  with  their  banners,  and  the  spirited  horses 
led  by  maidens,  stood  triumphant  in  the  vivid 
light.  It  was  a  sight  of  supernatural  beauty.  In 
the  glare  of  the  leaping  flames  the  snow-white 


410  SWEET  CLOVEIt. 

horses  seemed  to  stir  restlessly  and  paw  the  air, 
as  they  arched  their  necks  and  gazed  proudly  down 
into  the  glowing  chasm. 

"  Jump,  oh,  jump !  "  cried  Mildred  ;  then,  un 
able  to  endure  the  impending  catastrophe,  her 
nerves  strained  to  the  utmost,  she  turned  with  a 
wild  movement,  and  sobbing,  hid  her  head  on 
Jack's  breast. 

He  put  his  arms  around  her. 

"  The  — the  Peristyle  has  gone  !  "  she  exclaimed 
chokingly,  —  "  gone  back  —  to  heaven  !  " 

"  Yes,  darling,"  he  answered  close  to  her  ear. 
"  My  rival.  Forgive  me,  but  you  are  making  me 
so  happy  I  can't  realize  anything  except  that  I 
have  you  in  my  arms.  What  does  it  mean  ?  only 
that  you  are  overwrought  ?  " 

Mildred  lifted  her  face  slightly,  but  away  from 
the  burning  pyre. 

"Your  rivals  are  all  gone,  Jack,"  she  said,  as 
steadily  as  she  could  speak.  "Even  I  do  not 
count." 

Half  an  hour  afterward,  Clover  heard  them  en 
ter  the  house,  and  hurried  down  to  the  parlor. 

When  she  pushed  aside  the  portiere  and  entered, 
she  paused  in  amazement  and  her  heart  leaped  up, 
for  Jack's  arms  were  about  Mildred  and  his  lips 
were  pressed  to  hers. 

They  saw  her,  and  in  another  instant  she  was 
beside  them,  her  hands  clasped  in  theirs. 

As  she  gazed  at  her  sister,  mute  for  joy,  Mildred 


THE  NEW  YEAR.  411 

regarded  her  with  a  tender  version  of  her  beautiful 
smile. 

"  I  believe,"  she  said,  "  this  lifts  the  last  cloud 
from  Clover's  horizon." 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  latter  rather  unsteadily ; 
"  the  world  never  looked  so  bright  to  me  as  now. 
I  think,  Jack,"  turning  to  him,  her  face  aglow, 
"  heaven  itself  must  have  grown  happier  to-night." 

Van  Tassel's  eyes  shone  wistfully.  "  I  hope  he 
knows,"  he  answered  gently. 

\J 


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